


Coming Home (HeYa)

by faithe14



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-05 23:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 27,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1835761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithe14/pseuds/faithe14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naya and Heather see each other again at a cast reunion party after three years. How will Naya confess her feelings?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. prologue

_When Heather got back to LA, she couldn't contain her excitement for seeing her best friend again. She was so happy to be home, especially with the weird way her mother was acting. She had brushed it off as menopause or the shock of seeing each other again after almost six months, but she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable._

_And every time she brought up Naya, forget it. Her mom would tense up faster than butt cheeks on a toilet. She also found it strange that Naya hadn't answered her calls, but she figured her best friend was using her new found freedom from glee to party and lost her phone somewhere around the house._

_Just as she was rolling her eyes at the thought of Naya 'cleaning up' her liquor cabinet, the blonde saw her house come into view._

" _Yes!" she squealed as she pulled into her driveway._

_She was too excited to realize that Naya's black Range Rover was no longer in the driveway._

_She danced all the way up to her door, struggling with the weight of her suitcase, and started shouting for Naya to 'get her ass out here and open the damn door.'_

_But, strangely, Naya didn't come._

_Figuring it was some sort of joke; Heather huffed and stated loudly, "Fine. Don't open the door. I'm an independent woman, I can do it myself."_

_She dropped her suitcase to look in her purse, finally pulling out her keys after a 3 minute struggle._

" _Damn I really need to clean that thing out." She muttered under her breath as she opened the door._

_It wasn't until she finished lugging her huge suitcase inside the hallway that she realized there were no lights on._

" _NayNay?" she called curiously, confused. She poked her head back outside, only just noticing Naya's car wasn't there._

" _That's strange..." She thought to herself. "I guess she went out"_

_Heather just walked into the house, not bothering with her luggage in the hallway, and went to the kitchen, flicking on the lights as she turned the corner._

_She half expected to see the Latina sitting there, eating the last of her chocolate stash, but was met with an empty room and a small note on the counter._

_Heather fixed herself a sandwich and checked to see how much of her liquor and candy Naya had 'borrowed' while she was away, surprised when she was met with a full cabinet of alcohol, and more candy than she remembered in the small basket on the top shelf of her pantry._

_Cracking a little grin and shaking her head, the dancer slid back over to her turkey and cheese, before taking a bite and picking up the note._

_**I'm sorry** _

_Heather stared at it, confused, but when she flipped the note over, her heart dropped. Naya's spare key was taped to the back._

_A funny feeling spread across her chest, not quite an ache, but more of a tingling. This was a joke, right?_

_This had to be a joke._

" _Naya…" she called into the house, her voice cracking just the slightest bit._

_She walked past the living room, confused to see things missing, a couple of pictures on the mantle, a blanket, and Naya's spare charger, which she always kept in the bowl on the coffee table, just in case._

_She walked up the stairs to her bedroom, her head pounding harder with each step she took._

" _Naya?" she poked her head into the master bedroom, hoping to see her best friend curled up in her bed, smirk on her face, ready to explain that this was all a joke._

_But she wasn't there._

_Heather whipped her head around frantically, seeing every trace of Naya gone, like she had never been there at all. She ransacked her entire room, only stopping when she came to her closet, and pulled out her grey 'Glee' hoodie. When she slipped it on, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately took it back off and looked at the tag._

_It was a small._

_Heather's hoodie was a medium._

_She dove back into her closet, searching for her hoodie, but she couldn't found it._

_She slumped down to the floor at the foot of her bed, crumbling up the hoodie in her hands and burying her face into it, inhaling Naya's scent. She didn't know where Naya was, or why she left, but at least she had this. And she knew that, wherever her best friend was, she at least had something of Heather's with her._

" _She'll come back soon," she reasoned, "she has to…"_

_So she went downstairs, got her suitcase, and unpacked her things before falling asleep._

_Her last thought before she drifted off was, "she'll be back soon, I just know it."_

_But she never did come back._


	2. chapter 1

_Naya's POV_

Knowing she was going to be there wasn't what scared me the most. It was the fact that, for three years, I was the one that was hurting her... Hurting everyone. And I finally had to face that. I had no idea what to expect from her when we saw each other. I wondered if she would she blow up in my face, or even talk to me at all. But honestly, I didn't care. I couldn't stay away any longer. I hated the fact that I ruined so many years of friendship because I was afraid and let my feelings get in the way. So, I made it my mission to apologize to her the second she came through the doors of the 'Glee' cast reunion party. I was scared, but I was ready to fight for the first time.

I was seated at the bar, taking small, nervous sips of my drink when the loud bang of the door followed by shuffling feet and giggles interrupted me from my thoughts.

"NAYA?! Is that really you?" Diana squealed, and before I had the chance to protest, I was being engulfed in a bone-crushing hug.

I was suddenly surrounded by all the friends I never realized how much I had missed. Jenna, Lea, Amber, Ashley; hell, even Gwyneth was there. When I finally squirmed out from Diana's death grip to look for Heather, I was all but tackled by Jenna. It went on like that for another fifteen minutes, all us girls exchanging delighted laughter, with the phrase 'Oh my God, I missed you so much!' being used at least a hundred times. I kept craning my neck through hugs, trying to catch a glimpse of her even though I knew she was probably trying to figure out a way to steer clear of me without actually having to leave the building. I was brought back to reality, however, when I felt Jenna's hand slap me lightly on the arm. "God, I missed you Naya, but where the hell have you been? You haven't responded to any of our phone calls and texts for pretty much  _three_ years, and if your upcoming album wasn't  _always_ on the news, I would think you were dead by now!"

I wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so I just stared wide-eyed at the group of girls in front of me who all seemed to be holding to same position of hand-on-hip and right-eyebrow-raised in a gang formation.

"I, u-uh… been really b-busy. Sorry?" I stuttered, my gaze settling on Jenna's cute black heels before all the girls burst into laughter.

"Wow," Jenna gripped her stomach, "You really are losing your game, Rivera."

I simply glared at her which, of course, only sent the group into another, louder fit of giggles.

"Well, I see she's still got her famous death glare down! Way with words? Not so much."

After a few more minutes of relentless teasing, which I only accepted because it was what I deserved, the girls finally cleared out from around me to go chat with the boys, and Diana sat down on the bar stool next to me.

"She's here, you know." It wasn't a question, but she wanted an answer.

I lifted my eyes from the glass I was swirling around to meet her stare. The light- hearted atmosphere that had surrounded our reunion suddenly vanished, and I felt a wave of thick emotion hit me all at once.

"What am I going to say to her?" the crack in my voice as I said 'her' betrayed me in my pursuit to stay calm, and tears were threatening to spill as I slumped my shoulders in a defeated manner.

Diana frowned at me, although her eyes had an unspoken softness and understanding in them. "Nay, you left our lives without as much as a goodbye. You left her with a note, Naya. A note that said 'I'm Sorry'. It took us almost two months to even find out where you were or if you were safe. You hurt all of us Naya, so I hope your reasons for doing what you did are good."

My eyes trailed back down to my glass. "I'm sorry Diana, it's- it's complicated."

She slowly lifted her arm to rub soothing circles on my back. "I'm not going to not forgive you, okay?" she chuckled at her own word choice, "Just don't do it again. I've never seen her so low, and as cliche as this sounds, she never really did get that sparkle back in her eyes."

I turned my head up to respond, but she was already gracefully rising from the stool and strutting her way over to the dance floor.

I quickly scanned the room, but didn't see Heather. Even thinking her name was painful, and the familiar pull on my heart was getting increasingly stronger as I thought of the thing I regretted most in life. Leaving her.

* * *

_It was the third week since Glee had ended and the second night I sat alone in LA while Heather was in Arizona visiting her mother and sister. I stared the phone in my lap as I poured what had to be my fifth glass of wine. She had promised to call me every night, and as the minutes passed, along with the content of the wine bottle, I became more and more discouraged. Even though it was only 9'o clock._

_I nervously tapped my foot and turned the lock screen of my iPhone on and off about 10 times before I decided to take matters into my own hands. Now, I knew I was drunk, and I knew it was a bad idea to call her. I had been hiding my feeling towards my best friend and former co-star since practically the day I met her. But, somehow, after realizing I couldn't go one night without speaking to her, I couldn't bring myself to care if I let it slip that I was in love with her._

_So, I picked up my phone, swiped the lock and entered my passcode (4366 spells HeMo), and dialed in her number._

_After three rings, I heard someone take a deep breath, but I cut off their partially said 'Hello' with a sentence I hadn't really planned on saying so soon._

_"I love you."_

_My first thought was "Oh shit, did I really just say that out loud." And then I realized I said that out loud too._

" _Crap" I chuckled. I figured there was no taking it back now, it was out there and even if it had taken some alcohol, I finally had the courage to say it._

" _HeMo," I started, "I really miss you. I know you must think I'm crazy, because it has only been like two days… but, being here alone just made me realize how much I hate it when we're not together, and I never planned to say this over the phone but, I need to say it because I can't hold it in any longer," I paused and sucked in a breath. "I love you."_

_There was silence on the other end of the phone, apart from heavy breathing._

" _Heather, please," I breathed. "Say something."_

" _Naya." Was all I heard before my world came crashing down. That wasn't Heather. But I knew I hadn't dialed the wrong number, no, this was much, much worse._

_On the other end of the line was Mrs. Morris._

" _Naya," I heard again. "Delete Heather's number, and never, ever come near her or my family again."_

_I held my breath and pinched at my arm, hoping and praying to god this was just a nightmare._

" _How dare you, Naya. How dare you! I trusted you when you assured me the inappropriate way you and Heather were acting on that horrendous show was just_ _ **acting**_ _and it would boost her career! I trusted you but here you are backstabbing me, you filthy little lesbian slut! You are going to hell Naya Rivera, do not drag my daughter along with you."_

_The tears were falling silently as my head tried to catch up with my heart._

" _You are never to speak to my daughter again! Do not try and see her, and do not try and apologize to her or me for that matter because it will not be accepted. You can't love someone who is the same gender as you, it's impossible and most importantly it's a sin. You are just trying to take advantage of her and I won't have that."_

_Mrs. Morris's voice wasn't loud, but laced with anger and pure resentment._

" _Mrs. Morris-" I tried to say, but was cut off by her voice once again._

" _No, Naya. I don't want to hear whatever you are going to say. Remove all your things from Heather's home and replace anything you have of hers before she returns to LA. Better yet, why don't you move away from California altogether."_

_Her words finally began to register in my brain as she hung up._

_The next day I had everything packed up and was on a plane to New York City._

* * *

I was snapped from the heart wrenching memory when the faint sound of hauntingly familiar piano notes filled the speakers of the small radio that was placed on the bar counter in front of me.

_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry, you don't know how lovely you are._

I couldn't help the single tear that slipped out the corner of my eye as I recalled what the song meant to not only Santana and Brittany, but to me, and the sleepless nights I spent listening to the song on repeat and thinking about how much I hurt my best friend.

"Kind of ironic, isn't it?" A soft voice came from behind me. A voice I had never forgotten, even though I tried desperately too.

I turned around slowly, my watery brown eyes meeting breathtaking blue. We held each other's gaze for a while before she stepped forward. I flinched at how close she had come so quickly.

"Wha- Heather, I… I'm so, I mean, I just need to…" I trailed off, mind going blank as she got even closer, until she was standing right in-between my legs.

I held my breath as she reached over me and turned the volume knob on the radio up. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the bar tender look at her curiously; but her eyes were trained on the small space between our bodies. Then, she did something that I would have never expected. She took my hand, pulled me up gently, and guided my arms to wrap around her neck while she placed her hands on my hips.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as we just stared at each other, until she started to sway us gently back and forth to the song.

_No one ever said it would be this hard._

_Oh, take me back to the start._

She pulled me a little closer, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Diana, Jenna, and Lea watching us with stunned faces. I caught Jenna's eye and she smiled sadly at me before turning around and pulling the other two girls with her, giving us privacy.

I was honestly still too shocked to wrap my head around the fact that after three years of ignoring phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, and even tweets, Heather still wanted to speak to me. Let alone dance with me.

_Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me, oh when I rush to the start._

It was like a dam broke as my sobs became louder and I unwrapped my arms from her neck to pull her into a hug, all the while choking out "I'm so sorry, Heather I'm so, so sorry." Over and over until she returned my embrace.

"I know, Naya, I know."


	3. chapter 2

_Naya's POV_

It had been three years since we'd last seen each other, and being held by her, I couldn't really help but think that it was a dream. I clung to her tightly, burying my face in her neck and refusing to let go as my sobs died down.

"Shhh… hey, it's okay," Heather cooed in my ear. "You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, but I just really needed to give you a hug."

I choked out a laugh at her bashful smile as I (reluctantly) pulled away from her embrace, and wiped my eyes.

"Heather, I'm s-so happy to see you." I blushed at the embarrassing hiccup sound I made, although I should have been more worried about the fact that I probably looked like a raccoon. I silently scolded myself for not wearing waterproof mascara until I heard Heather let out a heavenly giggle at my furrowed brow and crossed eyes as she wiped the runny makeup from my face with her thumb, softly.

Her expression turned somber, however. "I haven't seen you in so long," it came out as a remorseful whisper.

All the happiness I felt in that moment was suddenly turned to guilt. I looked at her as she avoided my gaze, and I just didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell her what really happened; she loved her mom more than anything.

The feeling of panic took over, as my mind ran wild with fear.

_Maybe I shouldn't have come at all; this was a bad idea… What would her mom say if she knew I was here right now? Oh god, she would KILL me!_

_Shit._

"Just… why?" I heard, the blonde's small, sad voice effectively snapping me out of my mini-anxiety attack. Her tone of voice almost killed me, she sounded so broken and lost. It made me hate myself even more.

_I should have never fucking called her that day. She was only away for what, 48 hours? This whole damn thing is my fault. I can't believe I left LA to live in New York, why didn't I fight? I should have fought for her._

The panic swept in again, as I stuttered nervously, not able to meet her piercing gaze.

"Naya, please. Just, just tell me why you left. I don't understand! Things were going so great after the show ended, our friendship was stronger than ever. You never told me if there were any people in LA who were getting on your nerves or anything, but I mean, even then, why would you just leave without a trace? I mean, I get home from Arizona and you're nowhere to be found," Heather rambles, "Why would you just… leave like that? Why didn't you tell me, or anyone for that matter, where you were? I was so worried, Naya. And then, when Diana and Jenna found out you were in New York I was so happy that you were okay, but… why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you talk to me? You were my best friend, that hurt me so much.  _You_ hurt me so much." She was on the verge of tears, I could see it.

Regret spread through me like wildfire, and my knees suddenly felt a lot weaker then they had two minutes before. How was I supposed to explain the whole mess to her? I didn't really have a proper excuse unless I told her what happened. But, I didn't want to cause any problems. I knew how much her mom meant to her. And I also had to wonder if I was ready to admit to her that I was in love with her back then... and  _now_?

It was all too much, too quickly. I'd only been standing there twenty minutes and already felt like I was going to pass out.

"Heather," I trembled, my voice wobbling as I struggled to find the right thing to say, "I really,  _really_ , want to explain this all to you, but I don't think I can. I- I'm just not ready."

She snapped her eyes up to meet mine, her gaze suddenly stone cold. I felt the color drain from my face at the glare she was giving me.

"Not ready?" she spat quietly, incredulously, "Not ready?!" she began to yell, and all I wanted to do was hide and pretend that I could go back in time and say the right thing for once.

"What do you mean you're 'not ready?' you think you can just drop out of my life, our lives, with no goddam explanation, and just waltz back in three years later and say your 'not ready' to explain what happened?," I shrunk back into a corner as she all but spit in my face. In my peripheral vision I could see the other cast members staring in shock at the other end of the room. No one had ever seen the blonde as angry as she was then; face red hot, balled up fists, and voice raised as she basically screamed in my face. "I really thought I was ready to give you another chance," she seethed, "but I guess you're not ready."

With that, she stormed out.

I slumped down onto the floor, quite aware of the sympathetic and confused faces looking my way as quiet whispers began forming from the other people in the room.

I closed my eyes; embarrassed, guilty, and broken, as I let the tears come freely.

I heard the soft clicking of heels coming my way, and two surprisingly strong arms wrapped around me a moment later.

"Told you," Jenna chuckled.

I glared at her, just thinking  _this is no time to be laughing._

"Told me what?" I said, trying to be intimidating. But, like most things that day, I failed miserably considering I was still crying in her arms.

"You're losing your game." She smirked at me.

I gasped, and punched her hard on the arm.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I just went through one of the most humiliating and depressing things ever and you're going to tease me?" I grimaced dramatically.

"Yup." She shrugged nonchalantly, and I just stared at her for a moment before letting out the tiniest of laughs.

Diana walked over to us, and glared at me. "Naya, I suggest you explain to me what the hell just happened. Now." She said sternly, and I gulped before nodding.

_Keeping more secrets will only make things worse, I mean, look were it got me already..._ I tried to reassure myself.

"Well Heather asked me to explain why I left and stuff…" I trailed off.

"And?" Diana tapped her foot impatiently as she towered over my crouched figure.

"And… I told her that, that I'm not ready," I mumbled out.

Both Jenna and Diana stared at me with wide eyes for a suspiciously long time, and I started getting nervous.

"You're kidding, right?" Jenna asked. I shook my head, and they both let out angry huffs of air.

"Seriously? Oh my God, Naya!" Dianna raised her voice, "Do you know how much convincing it took me to get her to come to this damn reunion? She was so afraid to see you after you just left us, she totally blamed the whole thing on herself."

"Why aren't you ready Naya, it's been three freakin' years!" Jenna added, tone not much happier then Diana's.

"Look guys," I began, "I might be willing to tell you guys it's just, the reality of what happened is too hard to admit… to her."

"So it did have something to do with Heather?" Diana asked, more calmly than she previously had.

"It has nothing to do with her, but, also everything to do with her."

They both gave me a confused look, and I inhaled a deep breath before making a decision.

"I guess it's time," I stated quietly.

"Time for what?" Jenna asked.

"To tell you guys the truth."

We all shared a look before heading out the door for some privacy.

_It's go time._


	4. chapter 3

_Meanwhile, Heather_

Heather rushed out of the room, hot tears streaming down her face.

"Ughhhh" she grunted. "I can't believe she is doing this."

The blonde punched the elevator button a good twenty times before it finally let out a little  _ding_  and the doors opened.

"Fucking finally," she muttered angrily.

"God, I can't believe I was so stupid. "

The tears were coming out in a steady rhythm against her cheeks, but she chose to ignore them for the time being. She didn't know what to do, she was just  _so_  angry. She was so afraid to come to the party in the first place in fear that Naya would push her away. All she wanted to do was be friends again. The past three years had been really hard on her, she always thought she'd have all the love and support in the world- especially with her best friend and most favorite person by her side.

She really hadn't meant to flip out on her ex-bff in there, she was just so tired of not having answers, and when she finally got to the source, she was  _still_  left with nothing.

She was just so frustrated, she felt the entire situation was hopeless.

So, not knowing what else to do, she decided to call the one person who always made things better.

She punched in the only number she knew by heart, and quickly pulled the phone up to her ear as she exited the elevator and snuggled into the couch in the lobby.

" _Hello?"_

"Hi mom."

" _Hi baby, why do you sound like you've been crying?"_

Heather smiled, her mom always knew when something was up.

"Ugh, mommy, tonight has been so shitty."

" _Language, missy, I know you're upset, but just tell me what happened."_

"Sorry. Um, well, y'know how tonight was like the cast reunion?"

" _Yes"_

"Okay well, I saw Naya."

The line was silent for a full two minutes apart from Mrs. Morris's heavy breathing.

" _What did she say to you"_

The younger woman was surprised to hear the intensity to her mother's voice- she almost sounded enraged. It didn't come out as a question either, it was more like an accusation.

"Whoa calm down mom, she didn't really say anything, that's the whole point."

Heather began to get suspicious when she heard the relieved sigh that came from the other end of the line.

" _Why are you upset then? Shouldn't you be happy she's not bothering you anymore?"_

"Bothering me?" She was taken aback, how could anyone say Naya  _ever_ bothered her?

"Mom, why would you say that, she is- she was my best friend."

" _Well she didn't act like it"_ Mrs. Morris huffed.

"You know what, I think I have to go"

" _Heather wait-"_

"No that's okay mom, I'll call you sometime later this week."

" _Try to stay away from her."_

Heather let out an incredulous laugh before she hung up, finally allowing herself to let go, but instead of crying along to the comforting sound of her mother's voice like she had wanted, she was left crying alone.

**_Naya's POV_ **

Diana, Jenna, and I walked out onto the balcony, overlooking the beautiful city of Los Angeles. The lights of the city were almost enough to rival New York, in its own special way.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply, taking in the clear air. Well, clear compared to New York.

"Naya…" Diana approached me slowly, and placed a gentle, comforting hand on my shoulder.

"You know we're here for you, always. It sucked when you left, but I guess if you have a legitimate reason for all this, it will be easier for us to help you win Heather back." Jenna smirked at me.

I let out a little laugh, before widening my eyes and turning to face her directly. "Wait… what?" I said nervously. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on," Diana joined in on the fun, "You're not fooling anyone, Nay. You totally have it bad for that girl."

I stared at them blankly, not understanding how they figured it out, "How- what, I mean, how did you-?"

"Please," Diana cut me off. "The unusual closeness, the lingering sultry stares," she fake dry heaved, "not to mention  _every damn time_ you had an on-screen kiss you would run off set like Moses just released a plague of frogs."

I scoffed, but in reality I knew she was 100% right.

…Guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought. Oops.

She rolled her eyes before continuing, "And to top it all off, did you sob and cry into our necks when you first saw us after three years? Did you apologize to  _me_  like you just accidently ran over my puppy? Did you break down when you thought we were mad at you?" that damn arched eyebrow of hers.

"Nope," Jenna popped the p and winked at me.

_Well shit._

"Uh… so I guess, this makes what I was gonna say a lot easier."

They both nodded their heads eagerly at me.

"Okay, uh, well- you see, I, um"

"SPIT IT OUT!"

"Okay jeez, just, this is really hard for me to admit, and I don't want to say the wrong thing."

"Oh my God, just tell us."

"Fine, fine, okay. So, y'know how Heather went to visit her mom before I left to New York?"

Both Jenna and Dianna nodded.

"Okay well… I was at her house, and it was the second night she was gone," I paused to exhale a shaky breath, "I had been drinking some wine-"

"Oh God, this can't be good," Jenna muttered.

I shot her a glare before continuing, "I was waiting for her to call me, she promised to call me every night before she went to bed."

"Wait-" Diana interrupted me, "Were you guys already a couple?"

"Oh my God that totally makes sense!" Jenna yelled excitedly.

"What? N-no! We were never a couple"

I guess my face looked pretty damn sad, because they immediately shut up and cast their gazes to the floor, instead of looking at me.

"Continue…" Diana said quietly.

I rolled my eyes, "Anyway, she had promised to call me so I was waiting on her, and I was thinking about how much I missed her and I just sort of realized it." I shrugged.

"Realized what?" Jenna asked.

I looked up at them, flicking my eyes between theirs.

"That I was really in love with her."

They let out simultaneous gasps, and I almost laughed at their dramatics. Almost.

"So, I called her. Obviously I was a little tipsy, because the second someone picked up the phone I just blurted it out. I was just kinda like, 'Hey, I love you… say something?' and it was silent so I was afraid she totally hated me or something, but then the person on the other line said my name and everything went to shit." I let out a sigh, the whole confession thing wasn't as easy as I had thought.

"Wait- who was on the other end?"

I bit my tongue and closed my eyes before blurting out, "Mrs. Morris"

"Oh. My. God."

"What happened?"

"She told me I was going to hell, that I had to leave LA, and I could never,  _ever,_ speak to Heather or get involved with her family again."

So there I sat, the most vulnerable I had ever been, while my two friends stared at me with ridiculously shocked expressions, which I would have found funny if I wasn't about to cry.

"Well?" I asked. "Does that even partly make up for anything?"

They just continued staring at me.

"Now you see why I can't tell Heather… I mean, she lost her dad when she was twelve, and her sister's always been really distant. Her mom is her best friend. I don't want to be the cause of a fight between them. And, as much as it hurt, I felt I had to respect what Mrs. Morris wanted. I didn't even think about fighting it, and I'm not sure I want to."

It was silent for another few minutes before Diana blurted out the question I had been avoiding the entire conversation.

"Do you still love her?"

I didn't even give myself a chance to think about it before I breathed out a  _yes._

"Well then it's settled." There goes Jenna and her smirk again.

"What's settled?" I asked.

Diana and Jenna shared a look before staring at me with determined eyes.

"We're gonna help you get your girl back."


	5. chapter 4

flashback 2 ½ years ago

Naya sat, slowly spinning, in her swivel chair. She had it placed in front of the old desk in the corner of the living space of her NYC apartment. Her headphones were on, and she turned to face her laptop as the song she was listening to came to an end. She was beginning to feel a little masochistic, listening to Skylar Grey's song 'words' on repeat.

The lyrics "I can't take back, the words I never said" played in her head like a mantra, taunting her, teasing her, and literally driving her insane.

She was desperately missing Heather, and she eventually just turned off her phone because the distraught messages she received from the dancer-and the rest of her friends- made her hate herself even more. She knew she would regret leaving but the guilt she felt made her body react so badly to the point that she could barely move. She just shut down- she couldn't eat and just laid in bed all day. She was miserable.

It had already been a couple of weeks but Naya still hadn't slept through the night since her encounter with Mrs. Morris on the phone.

Now, as she searched for a new song to distract her, she couldn't help but let a few small tears pass. She had switched out her and Heather's Glee hoodie's as she was leaving Heather's house in LA, and she was bunching up the loose material at her stomach. She quickly realized she wouldn't be able to look at any pictures of them together, so she needed something of the blonde's before she left. She was positive her best friend would notice that she took it, and she secretly hope that it would send her the message that she didn't really want to leave.

Naya also hoped no one was too worried about her, she hadn't even told anyone she was moving. She knew she should call Diana or Jenna and let them know she way okay, but she wouldn't be able to handle their questions. She couldn't bear to explain why she left them and why she did this to them- to Heather.

Heather.

The only thing occupying her brain, always. She couldn't get her out. She was starting to believe the blonde truly was the only one who could fill the void her heart, in her life.

Naya knew Heather was it for her. It had always been her, and now she had ruined her chances. She started to wonder if she really ever had a chance to begin with, maybe, she thought, she had just imagined that Heather could have felt something for her too. Either way, even if by some miracle Heather did love her back, Naya knew she could never ask the dancer to choose her over her mother.

Heather 2 ½ years ago

Heather sat in her bed wearing Naya's grey Glee hoodie and typing what she assumed to be the 10,000th message to her best friend.

To NayNay: Naya Please answer me, I'm really worried and I miss you so much. Please come back. Xx –HeMo

Frankly, she didn't know what else to do. Naya hadn't answered any of her calls, texts, emails, hell; she even made a Twitter account to try and contact the girl!

But all her efforts, along with her friend's, were to no avail. Naya seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth- and Heather was not happy about it. She needed her best friend, and she knew her best friend needed her.

"Why did you do this, Nay?" she thought aloud as she bunched up the hoodie in her hands.

She put her phone of the nightstand before snuggling into her bed on Naya's side, hoping to catch her scent as a stray tear slid from her eye.

Naya's POV- present time

"Look," I started, "I really appreciate what you guys are trying to do for me, but I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't dwell on what could have been, or what could be. Things between us won't ever work out."

"Why, Nay? Just because you don't have the support of one person? Look at everyone else around you, we all support you." Jenna offered.

"When that one person is her mother, then no, I don't think it could work out." I responded sadly. "Besides, I don't even know if she's gay, like, what if she's grossed out by it, grossed out by me?"

Diana and Jenna were both silent for a few seconds before bursting out into hearty laughter.

"What the fuck, guys?" I eyed them suspiciously.

Diana wiped a stray tear from under her eyes, "Oh, that's rich," she breathed, before continuing to crack up.

"You really are blind," Jenna giggled.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" I asked, brows furrowing with confusion and downright annoyance with the two girls.

"Oh my god, Naya, I can't believe you didn't realize it," Diana said, "Heather is so attracted to you."

"What?" I choked, dumbfounded. "What?- no, that's, that's not true."

They just never stop, do they? I internally rolled my eyes as Diana actually slapped her knee.

"I would have noticed," I huffed as they tried to control their breathing.

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted as I saw a figure coming to join us on the balcony.

"She totally would have fucked your brains out if you eve-" I jumped forward and placed a hand over Diana's vulgar, vulgar mouth before grabbing her forearms and turning her around to face Heather, who had a confused look on her face.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked, innocent as ever. I noticed she had tear tracks on her face, and I wanted to do nothing more than punch myself in the face and then hold her and apologize a bazillion times.

"Nothing," the three of us stated in unison.

She furrowed her brow at us, obviously suspicious of our wide eyes and guilty expressions. Who could blame her?

"Well," she said slowly, "I just wanted to talk to Naya for a minute so, if you guys don't mind?" she raised her eyebrows at Diana and Jenna, silently asking them to leave us alone.

I sent them pleading looks, we don't have a plan yet! What the hell am I supposed to do now?

Diana shot me a look that said 'tell her the truth' before dragging Jenna back into the party room.

Shit

Well, I guess it's time to wing it.

"Uh, hey, Heather… look, I'm really sorry about all this, sorry about, well, me I guess" I stuttered awkwardly.

She didn't say anything, just looked at me, mesmerizing me with her electric blue eyes. I didn't even think about the long gap between spoken words until she dropped her gaze from mine and let it linger over the rest of me.

Shit, shit, shit! I'm blowing it! She can't even look me in the eyes…

For the first time in my life, I felt like I couldn't read her, and it was killing me. The gears in my head were moving like clockwork, spinning round and round only to go so slowly.

I just wanted to make her feel better.

But, would the truth make her happy?

Or would telling her what her what really happened make me selfish? Not only did it make her mother look bad, but it would also allow me to confess how I felt about her.

If she keeps staring at me like that, I don't think I have a choice in weather to be selfish or not.

"Naya," she whispered, and I didn't even realize I had moved closer until I was practically stepping on her toes. She had closed her eyes, and I could feel her exhale a shaky breath.

"We could have… I would have…" she trailed off, letting out a faint whimper when I placed my palm on her cheek.

"I want to tell you the truth, HeMo, I really do," I caressed the contours of her face softly, "but you have to promise me that you will accept both sides of the story. I don't want you getting hurt." I was whispering, barely a few inches from her lips.

She turned her head away from me, and stepped back, expression turning to stone once again.

"Too late…"

I could feel my eyes starting to water again, she can't push me away. I'm so close.

I just need to do it, fast, like a Band-Aid. I thought to myself.

"Just let me explain," I plead.

"I thought you weren't ready," she snapped bitterly.

"HeMo, please," I gently took her right hand in both of mine, "don't be like that."

I could see her resolve crumbling.

"I don't know if you understand, Heather, just how much I missed you. There was not a day that went by that I didn't regret not being here with you. I just want to know you again, I want you to know who I am. Because the truth is, and Heather please just hear me out on this," I was nervous, I could feel my palms sweating but I didn't want to let go of her hand, "the truth is… I never stopped, I never stopped l-loving you."

I almost wanted to look away, but I knew I could convey a deeper meaning by looking her in the eyes. I could see the initial shock on her face, replaced by realization, replaced by something that looked something like confusion.

"If you loved me- then why the hell did you just leave?"

"Not loved, HeMo, love." I stated, somewhat confidently after realizing she wasn't completely appalled by the idea.

"I-I love you, please, please, never forget that."

"I don't really know how to believe it in the first place when you won't answer my question." She muttered.

I choked down a small sob, trying to be strong and understanding, after all her bitter attitude towards me was completely my fault...

At that moment, I knew there was no going back. It was time to come clean.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know. The most important part of this conversation for me is already over with," I shrugged. I tried not to get hurt by the fact that she was completely ignoring my confession of love. But she deserved the truth. The real story.

She simply nodded, and gestured for me to continue.

"Well, when you were visiting your mom in Arizona, I was staying at your house, and on the second night you were gone, I started missing you a lot," I confessed quietly. "I guess I just sort of realized it, that I love you, I mean. I was a bit tipsy and waiting for your call, so I decided just to take matters into my own hands and call you. I just blurted out 'I love you' the second the call was picked up…"

Can I really go through with this? Throwing Heather's mom under the bus?

Before I could make up my mind, she interrupted me.

"I'm pretty sure I would remember getting that call," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, turns out it wasn't you who picked up," I mumbled.

I saw yet another wave of emotion rock through her face, finally settling on oh, shit.

"It was my mom?" she questioned, to which I nodded solemnly.

"What did she say to you, Naya?"

I looked around nervously, before settling my gaze on the shining lights of the city, contrasting beautifully against the dark of night.

I realized that the only thing that will make this situation better is the truth. Lying to save the ass of someone who hurt me so badly wasn't worth it for anyone, no matter what. Besides, if Heather found out I lied to her, she would only end up hating me. I gathered up all the confidence I could, before looking her square in the eye and grasping her hand just a little bit tighter.

"She told me, 'you're going to hell Naya Rivera, do not drag my daughter with you.'"

The gasp I heard from Heather did not satisfy me in any way, I just wanted to make her happy, not hurt her more. But the truth was owed to everyone in the situation.

"She also told me to delete your number, gather all my belongings from your house, and move away from LA. I'm not allowed anywhere near her family anymore." I felt the stream of tears on my cheeks by that time, but it felt so good to finally let go of the haunting secret.

All I could do at that point was wait to wait for her to process the information.

"W- what?"

That's all she said before ripping her hand out from mine and running back inside.

"Heather!"


	6. chapter 5

Naya's POV

It's been two days since the reunion, and I'm on my way to meet Diana and Jenna to discuss what to do about the situation. When Heather ran off, we all tried to stop her but she just wanted to go home. I didn't want to push her, even though I was determined to show her how I feel.

But that's just the thing.

I don't know how  _she_ feels.

Maybe she hates me; maybe she's just in shock. I wonder if she's talked to her mom yet… and I wonder if I will have to talk to her mom. I definitely don't want to do that, but I guess if I have to I will. I'm done hiding from my feelings.

I just want her.

 _If she'll have me,_ I think, before walking up the stairs in Diana's apartment building. When I knocked on the door, I almost tripped over when the door swung open to reveal Mark.

"What the hell?" I shouted.

"Nice to see you too," he retorted sarcastically, pulling me into a hug.

"Ewwww!" I whined, my face shoved against his armpits. I tried wiggling out of his grasp, and it took a full minute before I was able to step back, and once I did, I punched him in the chest.

"You asshole!" I laughed as he clutched his hands over his Pecs.

"If you two are done beating each other up, you can come inside now," Diana rolled her eyes.

Finally remembering what I was here to do, I gave the blonde a questioning look. "What the hell is Mark doing here? I thought we were gonna talk about, y'know," I said nervously.

"Oh please, like I didn't already know that you have a total lady boner for HeMo," Mark teased.

"Does everyone know about this?" I groaned, disbelieving the amount of people had knowledge of my innermost feelings before I shared them.

"Nay, your entire damn fandom pretty much figured it out," Jenna appeared, walking out from the kitchen area.

"Whatever," I mumbled. "Can we just talk about this already, I don't know what to do to win her over. I'm already freaking out so I don't need you teasing me about it, okay?"

They all nodded at me, before Mark decided to cut in, "So, just to make this clear, you never tapped that?"

"MARK," all three of us girls shouted.

"I told you if you're going to be an ass, then leave," Diana spit. "Naya's actually struggling here. We're trying to help our friend, don't make this harder on her."

"Sorry, sorry. I'll stop," he put his hands up in a defensive position, but I could still see the ghost of a smirk on his lips.

I rolled my eyes at him before shifting my gaze to the girls. "I need help, I need to show her how I feel, how do I do that? I mean, I don't even know if she's mad at me or not."

"That doesn't make any sense, Nay. Why would she be mad at you?" Jenna asks.

"I don't know… But this is starting to feel hopeless. Why would she run off like that?"

"That sounds awfully familiar," Diana mutters.

"What did you just say?" I say, a little offended.

"I said, that sounds familiar. Maybe she's giving you a taste of your own medicine. Besides, this is a lot to process for her. I mean, imagine  _your_  best friend dropping off the face of the Earth and then returning three years later to tell you that they're in love with you."

"Yeah," Jenna adds, "and her mom is the most important person in her life. She's probably freaking out because her mom did that to you."

"I guess… but the whole point of this is to figure out how to convince her to talk to me, I just want another chance."  _Because I don't think I can live another day without her._

Mark, Diana, and Jenna all sat opposite me, on the large leather couch. I sat in a blue loveseat, smoothing my hand over the material in the space next to me, thinking. I could tell my friends were all thinking about what to do, but all I could think about was how loveseats are meant for two people, and I was alone.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when somebody's phone started ringing.

"Ugh, sorry," Diana said, pulling out her phone. "I'll just turn it off- wait!"

"What?"

"It's Heather…"

_Oh my god_

I held my breath, watching intently to see what she was going to do.

"Well?" Mark shouts impatiently, "answer it already!"

"Okay, okay , jeez." Diana rolls her eyes and slides to answer her IPhone, shushing us with a finger to her lips.

 _Speakerphone,_ I mouth to her.

She nods and presses the button on the screen before holding her phone in the middle of us.

"Hello?"

" _Hey, Diana…"_

"Are you okay, HeMo?"

" _I guess."_

I could tell she was really upset, she sounded like she was about to break. What I wouldn't do to be able to hold her again. It's so frustrating that she's so close, but so far at the same time. This is the first time I've been back in LA since I moved, and reliving all the memories is so painful without her.

"Talk to me babe," Diana says.

" _God,"_ I feel my heart break all over again as she lets out a sob, " _I'm so stupid! I should have just stayed at the party. I finally got answers, and then I ran. I missed her so much, Diana. And I can't believe my mom would do something like that! I almost don't believe it… but, God, you should have seen N-Naya's face when she told me. I can't- I can't believe she loves me."_

Heather sounded so confused, I just wanted to reassure her that it's true, I really, really love her.

"Well," Diana stays silent for a moment before looking me in the eyes, "do you love her back?"

All the air was sucked out of my lungs. For the 23 seconds it took for her to respond, I couldn't breathe.

" _What kind of question is that, Diana?"_  Heather asks, sounding incredulous,  _"Of course I do…"_

_Oh my god._

"What?" I choke out.

" _Naya? What the fuck Diana! You didn't tell me she was there! God damn it!'_

"Heather I'm sorry- I didn't know you were gonna say that, plea-"

" _No! I hope your happy now… both of you. I guess this is what you wanted."_

"HeMo, please!" I cried desperately, "Please let me talk to you, I need you. God, this is all my fault. I just need another chance,  _please._ "

The line went dead.

_Shit._


	7. chapter 6

Naya's POV

_Ain't no sunshine when she's gone_

_It's not warm when she's away_

_Ain't no sunshine she's gone, and she's always gone to long_

_Anytime she goes away_

"Naya turn that depressing shit off and come answer the door." I could practically hear the eye roll in Diana's voice as she pounded on the door of my hotel room.

"There's no point," I declare.

"If you don't open this door in the next ten seconds I swear to god I'll-"

"Fine, I'm coming," I huff, getting out of the bed and turning my IPod off.

I throw the door open to find Diana with an un-amused expression and a cardboard box tucked under her arm.

"When are you finishing your album?" she questions, brushing past me and plopping down on the messy bed.

"Uh, I'm flattered you're excited about my career, but I'm really not in the mood to talk about that."

"Just answer the question, you idiot."

"Rude."

"Please?"

"Well, it's supposed to come out in about 2 months, but I still need to record one more track before it's finished," I respond.

"Perfect," she grins.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I groan, "My emotions are all over the place, I'm going crazy and I don't have time for one of your insane ideas."

"Don't worry, this one doesn't involve stunts," she assures me.

_Great._

"You, Ms. Rivera, are going to write a song!" she squeals, which really freaks me out because I have never seen her look so excited.

"Ugh, Di I can't write a song right now! What the hell am I supposed to write about?"

"Heather, duh!"

I'm about to protest before I remember all the song lyrics floating around in my head that remind me of her. Maybe writing would be a good idea, I could relieve some emotional stress and serenading someone is the best way to woo them, right? I know I can show her what's going on, what I really want if I put my heart into it. Hopefully, she'll open up to me too.

"Alright," I give in, "Let's do this."

**Meanwhile- Heather**

"I can't believe this is happening," Heather groaned.

She felt cheated, how could Diana not tell her Naya was there? Now she has to face the reality of the situation. Naya loved her, she loved Naya.

But how could they ever be together?

She hadn't called her mother to get her side of the story yet, she was pretty angry with everyone at the moment. She was surprised that Naya was so adamant she hear her mother out. She didn't really understand it- if this whole time, Naya stayed away from her because of her mom, then why didn't she make her mom look really bad?

Was Naya really putting aside her feelings like that, for someone who hurt her really badly?

"Why would she do all that for me- for my mom?" Heather thought aloud.

She didn't know why Naya was doing all of this, but maybe, it was because she loved her enough to get hurt.

Heather realized it was time to face the inevitable. She should just get it over with.

_Ring Ring_

" _Hello, sweetie."_

"Mom…"

Mrs. Morris realized the tone in her daughter's voice. It sounded strained and tired.

" _What's wrong?"_

"Just tell me the truth."

The way her mother audibly gulped pretty much confirmed Naya's story.

" _The truth about what, de-"_

"Just tell me the truth!" Heather hadn't meant to shout, but she was sick and tired of the bullshit she had to put up with. She wanted the truth without all the beating around the bush.

She didn't want her feelings spared. She wanted answers, no matter how much they hurt.

" _Did she tell you?"_

Her mother's voice suddenly turned dark, pained almost.

"Yes"

" _I couldn't let you get sucked into that… it's a sin, Heather. I was taking necessary action."_

She couldn't believe her ears. Her mother was really the cause of all the pain she went through.

"Mom," she choked out, "I can't believe you! I can't believe this! How could you do this? I thought- I thought you loved me? You knew, mom, you knew I loved her… and you took her away from me. She was the only thing that made me happy since…"

" _Since what Heather? I refuse to believe you loved her in that way, she's a woman."_

"Since dad…"

Mrs. Morris finally fell silent. She hadn't realized Naya had such a big impact on her daughter. All she thought about was taking away the person that could convince Heather to act upon her feeling- anyone could see the attraction between the two girls, even someone like her who didn't want to. She never thought about what else Naya meant to her.

" _Look, I know Naya was your best friend, but-"_

"Mom! She was more than my best friend! Didn't you hear me? I loved her! I-I  _love_  her."

" _Well I advise you seriously reconsider that if you want to stay in this family."_

"I can't believe you…"

" _Goodbye, Heather"_

She hung up her phone before throwing it at the nearest wall. She had a life-proof case, so it didn't break, but she couldn't say the same thing for her heart.

**Naya's POV**

"Naya, you've been writing for four hours. Don't you think it's time to take a break?"

"Naya?"

"NAYA!"

I snapped my head up from the notebook I was finishing my lyrics up in. "What?"

"I said, you've been writing for four freakin hours, take a break!"

"Hey this was your idea, if you don't remember," I snapped. "Besides, I'm almost done."

I heard her let out an obnoxiously loud sigh and start rummaging through the cardboard box she brought with her.

"Hey- what's in that thing anyway?" I ask.

She turns her body out of the way so I can view the contents. "Really?" I arch my eyebrow at her.

She rolls her eyes, "Well, I figured you would want some snacks. I know how you get when you go into writing mode. You never take a break."

I smile in thanks to her, "Well in that case, pass me the Sunchips?"

She winks before yelling out "THINK FAST" and hitting me right in the face.

"Thanks," I express sarcastically.

"No problem," she replies. "Now, lemme see what you've got so far."

I reluctantly hand over the notebook, I hate when people see work that's unfinished. But, Diana is my best friend, and I know that she will help me out any way she can- even by criticizing.

I sit in silence as she reads over my song, and after a suspiciously long time I look over to her to see a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Jeez- is it really that bad?" I joke.

She laughs and hits me on the arm, "No Nay, this is beautiful. She'll love it."

"I hope so…"


	8. chapter 7

**The next day- Heather**

"Jenna," Heather sighed, "I don't know what to do. I'm embarrassed. That's not exactly the way I wanted Naya to find out I'm in love with her."

Heather lay on her bed, sprawled out sideways so her legs were hanging off. Jenna sat beside her, trying to subtly convince the dancer to talk things out with Naya.

"Maybe talking to her would help?" Jenna suggested.

"I'm not sure. What will I say? I don't think I'm ready to just dive into a relationship with her after all this shit. We have to gain each other's trust back," Heather replied.

"And the way to gain each other's trust back is to spend time with each other," Jenna raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Ugh, I know," Heather shook her head and stood up. "You're right, I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Wait, right now?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah, why wait?"

"Well okay then, that didn't take much convincing," Jenna chuckled.

Heather stopped, halfway through the motion of pulling a sock over her bare foot before slowly turning to face her friend. "What do you mean, convincing?"

Jenna gulped under the blonde's suspicious gaze. "Um, nothing. Forget I said that."

"No," Heather said, "what did you mean?"

"Crap… um, well I may have been with Diana and Naya when the phone call happened. And I might also have promised Naya that I would try and convince you to talk to her," Jenna sputtered.

"You're in on this too?" Heather let out an incredulous laugh. "It looks like she's really trying hard, sending spies over.

"What? I'm not a spy, I'm trying to help!" Jenna protested.

"Whatever, just get out of my house," Heather grinned impishly.

"Weirdo," Jenna laughed, happy to learn that her friend wasn't upset with her. "I'm leaving now, have fun on your date."

"Shut up!" Heather couldn't hide her smile as Jenna left the house, finally feeling open to the future.

**Naya's POV**

"Di, I don't know… Times Square on New Year's Eve? How did you even pull that off? This will be the biggest event I've ever performed at." I mumbled, unsure of her proposal.

"Please, it wasn't hard to book the artist of the most anticipated upcoming album to play one song, Nay. You will do amazing; your song is just, wow. I almost can't believe you wrote it," Diana chuckled.

"Glad to know you have so much faith in my abilities," I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," she waved me off, pulling out her buzzing phone. I was instantly suspicious as a smirk slowly spread across her facial features.

"Oh man, I know that look," I teased, "what's going on now?"

"I have to leave," she stood up suddenly, gathering her things and heading towards the door. I got up with a frustrated huff before following her.

"What do you mean you have to go?" I asked. When she didn't answer, I rolled my eyes and slipped in front of the closed door before she could reach the knob. "Was that a booty call?" I deadpanned.

She let out a sharp, shrill laugh and pushed me aside. "No you pervert, Jenna asked me to come over."

"Oh, scheming," I concluded. "That explains the smirk."

"Sure," she winks at me before turning around and strutting down the hotel hallway.

"Freak." I mutter to myself before grinning and going back inside to make some mac n' cheese.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Expecting Diana forgot something, I swung the door open with nothing but sweatpants and a sports bra on, holding my bowl of mac n cheese, a forkful shoved in my mouth unattractively.

My eyes widened as I nearly dropped the bowl when I saw who stood behind the door.

"H-Heather!"

I could hear her stifle a giggle as I tripped over my sweatpants once again, almost sending my food flying onto her.

"Hey!" she laughs loudly, side stepping to get out of the line of fire.

"Sorry," I giggle, ushering her inside to the kitchen.

"That's okay," she replies coyly, "It just gives me a chance to do this!"

"Wha-?" I was cut off by my glass of milk being poured over my head, dripping down my face to my bare stomach, which shrunk in from the cold temperature.

She squealed, giddy, as she set the glass back down on the counter and ran to the other side of the island, blocking herself from my revenge.

"Oi! What the hell," I couldn't stop laughing now, as I ran to the fridge, throwing it open to grab some ammo.

I let out a surprised squeak as I felt the contents of the pudding cups from the pantry smeared along my back from behind. I quickly grabbed some eggs, and turned around as quickly as I could to reach up and crack them on her head.

"Ahhh!" she laughed out, spinning around to try and squirm out of the hold I had on her.

"That's what you get, you imp," I giggle as I wrap my arms around her stomach, preventing her from getting away. It felt so good to hold her after all the time we spent apart.

"Hey!" she yells, turning around in my embrace, "I'm not an imp."

"Yeah you're right…" I smirked. "Too tall."

She hits me on the forearm, still trying to break free.

"Let me go," she struggles, still giggling lightly.

"Never," I whisper. Seeing her being so carefree and light-hearted with me again, just made me fall in love with her even more.

I was never going to let her go.

She snapped her eyes up to me, taking in our closeness for the first time. Her hips were pressed to mine, and my arms were snaked around her stomach. One of her arms was trapped between us, pressing into my bare skin. The other was clutching my bicep as we stood in the middle of my kitchen, covered in food.

"Did you really mean it?" she asked, voice soft and seemingly broken.

I just want to be there to help fix her.

"Yeah," I breathed out. "I really love you."

I didn't even have time to think before I felt her lips crash into mine.


	9. chapter  8

Naya's POV

It was like time just stopped.

I swore I could hear  _The Power of Love_ start playing in the background the second we connected. It was like nothing mattered but the way she softly moved her lips against mine.

For the first few seconds, I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that I was kissing. Kissing  _Heather._

She moved so sweetly, gently grasping my hips to pull me closer against her. I couldn't help but let out soft little moans at her actions, loving the way she hummed in response. She smiled into the kiss after another minute, and I gasped when she poked her tongue out to swipe against my bottom lip. Teasing her, I decided to deny her request for entrance by pressing my lips together tightly. I couldn't help but let out a laugh when she tried to part my lips on her own, attempting to wiggle her way into my mouth with her tongue.

She pulled back with a grin on her face after her failed attempt, staring into my eyes lovingly. "Wow…"

"Yeah, wow," I agreed, letting out an elated sigh.  _I am so in love with this girl._

"I can't believe I just did that," Heather breathed. She sounded almost giddy and certainly looked the happiest I'd ever seen her.

However, her smile slowly faded.

"Me neither." I was a little confused at her sudden mood shift, but the gleeful feelings exploding inside me were enough to block that out.

She was silent for a moment, looking downwards to survey the gooey residue from our food fight that lay on the kitchen floor.

"I don't think room service will be too happy about the mess," she offered an unconvincing chuckle, detaching herself from me and slightly turning away. I could see her walls building back up, and it scared me.

"HeMo…"

"We should get cleaned up," she attempted to walk away, but I grabbed her arm, and in one swift motion we were face to face again, breathing in each other's air.

"Please," I whispered. "Why did you come here?" I wanted to know if what occurred had been what she planned, what she wanted.

She closed her eyes, exhaling loudly through her nose. I could feel her tensing up more and more with every passing second.

I let her slip from my grasp as I stepped back, sensing she might need a little space. "Heather,  _please_. Don't push me away. I love you."

The words were meant to be comforting, but when she snapped her eyes open, all I could see was panic overtaking her features.

"I- I can't Naya, I'm sorry. I have to go."

She brushed past me quickly, trying to exit as fast as possible. I was shocked at her sudden mood swing, and watched her fling the door open before fleeing the hotel room.

_What the hell?_

My brain finally registered what was going on as I surged forward, running after her. I caught a glimpse of her watery, shining blue eyes just as the elevator doors closed.

"Shit," I cursed, frantically flinging my head around until my eyes landed on the staircase. I basically flew down the 6 flights, and burst through the exit door into the lobby, panting wildly.

"Heather!" I called out, ignoring the strange looks from the staff and a few guests spread about the room. I saw the flash of her blonde ponytail as she rapidly spun around to face me, one foot already out the door. I sprinted over to her, trapping her in my embrace before she could even think about bolting again. Our fronts were pressed against each other, causing me to momentarily lose my train of thought as I relished in our closeness.

"I told you, I'm never letting you go." She just stayed still, arms hanging limp at her sides while I clung to her desperately.

"Just stay with me here a little while longer,  _please._ " I was definitely not past begging at that point. I stared up into her eyes, trying to convey the sincerity of my words. "I know you're scared, but I am too. I just want to try and talk thing out."

I could sense her hesitation, so I hugged her a little bit tighter. "Please."

The tight feeling in my chest snapped as I flooded with relief. She had nodded slightly, and her cheeks tinted a light shade of pink along with the tips of her ears. I had to fight the urge to kiss the shit out of her. She just looked so damn adorable. Perfect, in my eyes.

I slowly unwrapped my arms from around her, instead grabbing her hand and softly tugging her back towards the elevator. She followed; trailing behind me by a hair, hand still stuck in mine.

When we got back upstairs, I had to suppress my laughter at seeing the door to my room wide open, completely forgotten about in my earlier pursuit to catch the dancer.

We finally got settled in the small living area, a slightly awkward tension in the air. She wasn't making any eye contact, and had plopped down on the opposite end of the couch, avoiding my touch like the plague. It hurt, but I refused to just give up. I had hope this time around. That kiss had surpassed every expectation I set by a million, and I knew she felt something too. I just needed to get her to open up to me.

"You take my breath away," she muttered the statement as if it were insignificant, something that wouldn't affect me as much as it did.

"You…" I choked, feeling tears well in my eyed.  _When did I become such a sap?_ "You, y-you're  _perfect._ "

I stood from my side of the couch and walked over to her, kneeling down so she would look me in the eyes. "I love you. Only you."

She stared back at me, wide-eyed, a vulnerable expression on her painfully beautiful face.

"Just tell me what you want, I'll do anything f-" I was cut off by her hands pulling me forward, smashing our faces together as she wrapped her lips around my bottom one.

"I love you," she breathed against me. I felt my heart swell, but just as quickly, it sunk down and an ache spread across my chest. "…but I don't think I can do this."


	10. chapter 9

**Naya's POV**

I rested my forehead against hers, closing my eyes and shaking my head back and forth slowly.

"What do you mean you can't do this?"

"Naya…"

"Please, just tell me," I was on the verge of tears for the umpteenth time since my return to LA.

"I just… Naya, I'm just," she sounded so conflicted, raw emotion scratching her vocal chords. "I'm scared."

She whispered, and with our faces still so close together I could feel her hot, shaky breath on my lips.

"HeMo, I am scared shitless of this, but I can't fight this anymore. I'm afraid of the talks, and the looks…" I trailed off for a moment, knowing quoting Santana may not be the best tactic, but at least hoping to get her attention.

" _You_ have to accept that I love you, and I don't want to be with anyone else," I tilted her chin slightly so my lips were connected to hers. "Please say you love me back," I cracked a small grin at her, mumbling against her lips, hoping to appeal to her humor and break through her walls.

She turned her head away, looking toward the door, and whispered  _proudly so_  before gently pushing me off her and leaving. The only thing that kept me sane through the ups and downs was the fact that she looked back at me, silent tears escaping her before the door closing separated us once again.

* * *

**A couple hours later**

"Diana," I groaned. "What am I going to do? I know, I just know she wants to be with me, she told me she  _loved me_. Why is she still running away?"

"I don't know, NayNay," Dianna pulled me into her and rubbed my back soothingly. "But uh, just to check… we're still going through with New Year's… right?"

"Di! I'm going through emotional distress right now and you're asking about New Years?!"

"Just saying, singing that song to her might help clear up the confusion she's feeling. Putting yourself out there could really show her you're not going to give up."

"Yeah, well 'putting myself out there' is also the easiest way to get hurt," I mutter bitterly. "Getting up in front of a million people only to be rejected afterwards would just be the cherry on top of all the shit I've had to deal with."

"Nay, don't think about the past anymore… don't think about rejection. This is about the future. The future you could have with Heather. We all know she's crazy about you too."

I pondered Diana's words for a moment, thinking about the pros and cons of her crazy, but amazing plan.

"Do you still have Amber's number?" I narrowed my eyes at the blonde.

"Hellllll yea!"

I giggled at her goofy impression of the girl and rolled my eyes.

"Then call her up, Jenna too. In fact, ring all the girls. If I'm gonna do this, I'll be needing some serious support. And LOTS of help."

She smiled widely at me before grabbing her phone off the coffee table to make the first call.

I reached to pull my notebook out of my purse, flipping through it until I reached the page I wanted.

 _I hope it's good enough_ I thought.  _New Year's is only 2 weeks away…_

* * *

**Heather's pov**

Heather was sitting on her couch, thinking of all the crazy ways her life had changed in the course of just one week.

She was so lost in thought she jumped when her phone started buzzing next to her.

She couldn't help but laugh a little bit at herself, before picking up the phone to read the caller ID. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Diana's name on the screen, but she decided that she needed a friend, and she had to forgive the girl sometime anyway.

"Hello?"

_"_ _Hey, Santana."_

Heather let out a loud laugh. "Did you just call me Santana?"

_"_ _Why yes I did… what other*cough* 16 year old *cough* runs away from the love of her life just because she's 'scared'?"_

"Okay… So I see you talked to Naya?"

_"_ _Damn right!"_

"Look, I'm not in the mood to talk about that right now… I just need a friend to take my mind of things. I know I'm hurting her, but I'm just so- so confused."

Heather wasn't sure if Diana was angry with her or not, considering the line was silent for a beat too long.

 _"_ _Well I think I may have the perfect distraction…"_ She could practically hear the smirk in Diana's voice.

"Um, Di, I'm flattered, but I'm not into you like that. Like, at all."

_"_ _Um, I did not mean it like that. And offense taken, thank you very much."_

"Sorry," Heather giggled softly, realizing how much she missed her friend's company.

_"_ _Anyway, back to my plan. How would you like to spend New Year's Eve in Times Square with me and the girls?"_

"Oh my God! Really? That sounds awesome!"

Diana chuckled on the other end of the line, happy to hear her friend so excited about phase 1 of 'Operation Heya'.

"I think getting away from LA for a while will really clear my head… and I haven't spent time with you guys in so long…"

_"_ _Yeah, we were planning to invite you at the reunion, but then all the drama happened, and I wasn't sure if you'd want to come."_

"Yeah… well I'm excited now! Send me the deets."

_"_ _Alright, bye!"_

"WAIT!" Heather shouted suddenly, causing Diana to wince on the other end.

_"_ _Jeez, trying to make me go deaf?"_

"Sorry, just… Naya's not going to be there with us, right?"

_"_ _I wouldn't do that to you, HeMo. Now get some rest and maybe start packing, we're leaving in two days!"_

* * *

**Naya's POV** _  
_

I blinked my eyes open as I roused from my light sleep, hearing the pilot's voice over the speaker system.

 _"_ We will be making our descent in about 8 minutes, please begin fastening your seatbelts and prepare for landing."

_Thank God._

I took off my sleep mask to look out the window, loving the incredible view of nighttime New York City from an airplane.

I suddenly felt a small, timid tap on my right shoulder. When I turned around, I was met with stunning hazel eyes and a shy grin. I smiled at the girl warmly, who looked nervous as hell to be standing so close to me.

She didn't say anything, so I chuckled and patted the seat next me. "You should probably sit down, we're landing soon."

She sat down next to me with the biggest smile I'd ever seen, looking like she just won the lottery. "Hi, I'm Sara!"

"I'm Naya-"

"I know!" she squealed, making me laugh. "I love you so much, oh my God- you are  _amazing_ , I can't believe I'm sitting next to you!"

"Well thank yo-"

"Just, you're literally perfect, I mean you were such a big inspiration to me on Glee- and now! But your character was my favorite, I really relate to Santana so much, and I just… I don't know if this is weird or not for you, but Brittana was like the best thing ever created and I'm so happy you guys ended up together, it gave so many of us hope, and-"

"Hey," I giggled at the girl, she looked like she was gonna faint. "Take a breath, sweetie."

She looked at me dreamily, before letting out a giggle not unlike my own. "Sorry."

"Haha, it's okay girly, thanks for the compliments and everything." I never knew what to say when fans went on rants like that, but this girl was completely adorkable and I wanted to make her happy.

"… Why don't we take some selfies together before we land?"

"Oh my God, yes!" she practically shouted.

"I like you, Sara," I giggled.

She nearly dropped her phone as she held it slightly above our heads, and we both laughed at her nervous antics.

"Hey, I'll do it," I chuckle.

After about 50 selfies, the pilot announced a slight delay so we had another ten minutes before our descent.

"So, Sara, how old are you?"

"18."

"Oooo, barely legal," I winked. She looked like she might faint.

"Oh my God," she laughed.

"So what are you headed to New York for?" I asked.

She looked to the ground, seemingly ashamed of something.

"I don't want to shove all my crap onto you," she muttered.

"Well we're both here for another ten minutes, and I could honestly use the distraction from my own crap," I smiled at her reassuringly. "I'd love to help out a friend."

She cracked a face-splitting grin before nodding and turning to face me better. "Okay, well, I was in my senior year of high school this year, but I took this test called the California Exit Exam, so I got to graduate early. Unfortunately, that meant I was at home all the time… And my parents caught me making out with my girlfriend on the couch one day when they came home for lunch. They're really religious, so they just kicked me out. I only had time to grab a few things and leave. On top of that, my girlfriend freaked out on me and said her parents would kick her out too if they found out, so I couldn't stay with her. I wanted to ask her to come with me, but she still has to graduate high school. She didn't break up with me… but, she made it pretty clear we are on some type of break until she gets to New York. If she ever gets here," she whispered the last sentence sadly.

"Wow, that's rough, kid." I gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her thigh.

She stayed silent, and I racked my brain for ways to make her feel better. I hate when people are sad.

Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

 _Genius,_ I smirked to myself.

"Hey, Sara?" I asked.

"Yeah?" she sniffled.

"Do you mind if I tell you a secret?"

Already she looked happier, and I had to suppress my laughter. "I absolutely do not mind. At all."

"Okay," I giggled, "Well, there is someone in my life too, someone I love very much… but she-"

"Wait!  _She_?!"

"Shit," I breathed. "I mean, yeah. That wasn't the secret I was going to tell you, but I guess that's out now… no pun intended."

She laughed lightly, her eyes shining.

"Anyway, so I love her very much, but she is scared to be with me. Her mom's really religious, kinda like your parents I guess. I wrote her a song that I'm performing in Times Square New Year's Eve."

"Awww, that's so sweet! And crazy! But mostly amazing…"

"Thanks," I smile. "I can't really take credit for it though, all Diana's idea."

"Diana? As in Diana Agron? As in Quinn?" she squeaked.

"Yeah, yes. That's the one!"

"That's so cool you guys still stay in touch! Oh my God… Do you still talk to Heather?"

"Um, I-I, well," I stuttered nervously. "That's- that's um, complicated."

She eyed me suspiciously, "Okayyy… So, what's the song about?"

"Well, that's the secret I wanted you to help me with," I brightened, happy to move topics. "I was hoping I could sing a little bit of it for you, since I've only heard a few opinions on it from my friends."

"Uh, YES!" she squealed.

"Alright…"

She stared at me in awe as I started singing softly.

When I was finished, her jaw had dropped and I closed it for her, giggling.

"That good, huh?" I smirked.

"Yeah," she let out an enamored sigh.

_"_ _This is your pilot speaking, we have now landed, you are free to exit the plane."_

We both stood up and shoved our way through the cramped plane together, laughing when I almost fell onto some angry businessman's lap.

When we finally made it out, we walked to the baggage reclaim to get our suitcases. I noticed she only had a small suitcase and the purse she had with her on the plane. I wondered where she was staying for the night.

"Sara?" I asked. "Where are you staying tonight?"

She shrugged at me, "I don't know, I figure I'll just find some hotel somewhere and try not to spend all my money."

I was horrified to hear her laugh nonchalantly.

"You can't do that! This close to the holiday's all of the decent and even  _half_ decent hotels are all booked up, or prices are jacked up extremely high."

"Well I don't really have another option, unless I want to be sleeping on the street tonight."

I breathed in deeply, knowing I would probably regret the next words that came out of my mouth. "Look… This is crazy, but New York is a dangerous place close to New Year's and I don't want you to get hurt, so… I guess, maybe, you could stay with me, at least for tonight so you can save some money."

"I couldn't ask that from you," she shook her head. "You've already been so nice."

"Hey, you didn't ask, I offered," I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and starting to walk towards the exit. "And having a conversation with a friendly stranger on a plane isn't nice, it's just courteous."

She rolled her eyes and smiled at me. "You are so awesome."

"I know!" I cheered. "Now let's get home, I'm craving some hot chocolate!"

* * *

After setting Sara up in the spare room, thoroughly interrogating her to make sure she wouldn't let out any of my secrets (I think I scared the poor girl half to death), and saying goodnight, I lay awake in my own bed. I hoped Diana had been able to convince Heather to come to Times Square with her. The Glee girl's gathering had dubbed Diana's plan 'Operation Heya', and although I had laughed at the ridiculously corny name at the time, I wanted nothing more for our plan to work. They sent me back to NYC early to prepare myself for the big night, and after everything that happened, I couldn't help but feel ready, and pumped for it.

_Time to get your girl, Naya._


	11. chapter 10

**Naya's POV**

**8:22 am, Eastern Time**

Waking up back home in my king sized bed to the beautiful view of New York during Christmas time felt so good. I could see through my window that a fresh sheet of snow had fallen overnight. I snuggled into my pillow and just watched the sky for a while until I felt awake enough to get up.

Letting out a content sigh, I climbed out from under my bundle of blankets to the kitchen where I immediately poured myself some fresh coffee.

_Wait… fresh?_

"Hey, I wanted to say thanks for uh, letting me stay last night, so y'know, I made some coffee… I hope that's okay."

"Sara! Oh yeah, thanks. I mean, your welcome. It was no problem really."

_That explains the coffee_

"This is so weird," Sara mutters under her breath.

"What?" I question.

"Well, you're  _Naya Rivera_ ," She chuckles. "And somehow  _I_  ended up in your house."

"You're right… this is weird."

We share a look and laugh.

"You want coffee, kid?" I ask her after sitting at the dining room table in a comfortable silence for a while. "I mean, you made it. You're more than welcome."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks," she mumbles shyly.

I give her a smile and show her where the mugs are before sitting back down and getting lost in my own little world. I hum my song quietly while thinking about New Years. To say I am nervous would be an extreme understatement. First of all, I haven't really performed in a while because I've just been writing and recording. The thought of going from nothing to Times Square all at once is really over whelming. Plus, I have no idea how Heather is going to react.

"Um, Naya?" I hear, snapping me out of my thoughts. Sara is sitting across from me at the table, looking up at me nervously. I notice her short black tank top and shorts. She looks freezing.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I don't know what you celebrate or anything, but Christmas is in like six days.." she trailed off.

_Oh my God, I totally forgot about Christmas!_

I see her shiver and get up to grab a blanket from the couch. She smiles at me appreciatively when I drape it over her shoulders.

"I guess I should do a little Christmas shopping then," I comment, looking around at my un-festive apartment.

She nods and looks around as well, before getting up and grabbing her bag from the guest room.

"Well, I guess I should be going then," she announces. "Thanks for everything, really. I don't know where I would be right now if it weren't for you."

She waves awkwardly, cutely, before starting to walk out the door.

"Hey, wait up kid," I shout after her. "You are not going anywhere. It just got done snowing and I'm not letting you out there to fend for yourself in the cold. Plus, whose gonna help me with the decorations?" I smirk.

A huge smile spread across her face and I chuckled.

"Go on kid, get ready. We're going shopping."

* * *

Heather, Diana, Jenna, Amber, and Lea all drag their tired bodies to the car waiting for them outside the dancer's house.

"Ughhh," Jenna groans. "What time is it?"

Heather clicks the home button on her iPhone, the lock screen popping up.

_5:22 am, December 19_ _th_

"5:22"

The rest of the girls in the cramped car let out pained noises as their lack of sleep catches up to them.

"Di, why did you book a flight at 7 in the morning?" Jenna grumbles.

"It's more private flying in the morning, mostly people on business trips. People would have a field day if they caught us all on the same plane." Diana shoots back, clearly irritated that her friends don't appreciate her sensibility.

"I don't care," Lea yawns. "I would rather be ambushed by paparazzi then wake up so friggin early."

The rest of the girls inwardly roll their eyes.

"That's because you're a diva and you enjoy the attention," Amber points out, making the rest of the girls burst into laughter.

Lea glares at her but lets it go as Heather speaks up.

"Guys, I'm trying to drive here," the dancer whines. "Shut up and someone read me directions."

Everyone splits into smaller, quieter conversations as Diana reads Heather the directions from the passenger seat. They arrive at the airport and go through the motions until finally, about an hour and a half later, they are boarding their 7 o'clock plane to New York.

* * *

**Naya's POV**

**2:30 pm, New York**

"Don't. You. Dare."

Sara smirks at me devilishly throwing the snowball between her hands.

"Don't do it, Sara. I swear to God if you hit me with that, you'll be homeless."

Her smile drops as she lets her snowball fall to the ground. I smile triumphantly until I see the expression on her face.

"Aw, don't worry kid, I was just kidding. I wouldn't just kick you out like that."

She stays silent, and keeps her head down. I start feeling really bad for making such an insensitive remark until she lifts her head.

"Dammit!" I shout as a snowball hits me right in the face.

"You are too easy," She cracks up.

"You little  _bitch_ ," I giggle, picking up a snowball and throwing it at her. She ducks, so I miss.

We keep stumbling along the busy street, weaving our way through the crowd, using grumpy pedestrians as barriers from snowball attacks. Finally, we end up in the Disney store in Times Square.

"Look!" Sara squeals, pointing at a display stand full of stuffed animals from  _The Lion King_ , "I love The Lion King! Nala is my favorite."

She grins and starts shuffling the animals around, making the Nala stuffed animal talk to the Simba one.

I roll my eyes at her and smile at her silliness.

_Adorkable_

"Rafiki was always my favorite," I smirk. "Dude's batshit."

A mother standing behind us gasps and glares at me un-approvingly before storming off with her son in tow.

Sara and I burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching our stomachs. I grab Sara's shoulders to steady myself when I feel myself tripping, and accidently bring her down with me. She falls backwards into the stuffed animals, and I land on top of her, squishing my face against her neck.

"Oh my God," I giggle, "sorry!"

"It's okay," she breathes out between laughs, "I'm still dying over that mom."

"I know, right?"

We fall into another fit of hysterics, and I rest my head back on her shoulder, too weak to stand up.

"Hey, get off me you lazy bum," she jokes, pushing me off her and standing up.

Suddenly, I hear her gasp, and see her staring wide eyed towards the entrance of the store. She lets out a quiet  _Oh My God_ under her breath, and spins me around.

"Did you know they were here?" she squeals.

I pretty much stop breathing when I see what Sara had freaked over. Lea, Amber, Jenna, Diana, and  _Heather_ are all staring back at me. Well, us. Diana moves her eyes between Sara and me several times and then sends me a look that just says 'what the fuck'.

I snap out of my trance when Heather runs out of the store, and I jolt forward to run after her. I have to explain! Shit, she probably thinks Sara and I are… something. Fuck.

I fight Diana, who holds me back as the other girls run after Heather.

"Let her go, Nay!" She shouts at me.

"No, no!" I cry hysterically. "No, it's not what it looked like, I need to go explain to her. God dammit let me go!"

"No, Naya. You need to explain to me what just happened and who the Hell this girl is," Diana gestures to Sara, who is standing next to us looking around nervously, expression utterly confused.

"Should I just go back to yours to give you guys some time, or…?" She asks innocently, actually looking a little concerned.

I sigh and relax my struggling in defeat. "No, that's okay. Let's just all go back to mine so I can explain all this."

"Yeah," Diana says in a sarcastic voice. "You better."

I roll my eyes at her and begin walking out of the store. "She's eighteen for God's sake, I'm not a pedophile."

"Hey, you're only thirty, that's not that bad," Sara mutters, earning a suspicious glare from Diana and a pointed look from me.

"Don't give her any ideas," I hiss.

Diana hails a cab, and we eventually end up in my apartment, all seated around my dining table.

"So?" Diana breaks the awkward silence.

"Look, we met on the plane ride here, she needed a place to stay, and I didn't want to see her end up getting mugged or shot or something. So I told her she could stay here for a while."

Diana eyes Sara with an intensity even I would consider scary.

"So you two didn't hook up?"

Sara chokes on her water and I let out a sharp laugh.

"NO! Of course not! God, Diana she is freaking 18! We just met and you know I'm in love with… someone."

"I know, I know," Diana sighs. "But how are we going to explain that to Heather…"


	12. chapter 11

**Heather's POV**

Jenna grabs Heather's shoulder when she finally catches up to her. They've both lost track of the other girls in the busy streets.

"Heather," Jenna pants, "please wait up, I-"

"You what?" Heather snaps, "You're sorry? For what! Naya can do whatever, or  _whoever_ she wants. We're not together."

There is an eerie silence as the two girls stare at each other, Jenna with wide eyes and Heather wiping at the tear tracks on her face angrily.

"Then why are you running away?" Jenna's voice is soft and sympathetic, and Heather visibly deflates.

"It- it hurts."

The blonde lurches forward, throwing herself into Jenna's awaiting arms. She cries into the shorter girl's neck, hiccupping and spouting out incomprehensible phrases. Jenna holds her tightly, whispering encouraging words into her ear while trying to find a more private place to talk. She relaxes when she spots Lea and Amber running towards her.

"Shit, guys we need to leave  _now_ ," Lea hisses.

"What?"

The flashing of lights and the sound of shouting answers Jenna's question. She tries to move, but Heather has a death grip on her.

"Heater! Heather! Miss Morris! Turn this way; we just have a few questions!"

The dancer is overwhelmed; the paparazzi are completely surrounding her and her former co-stars. She has stayed out of the limelight for the past few years, and now she is being bombarded by insensitive reporters in the middle of New York City. The emotional distress she was already feeling over seeing Naya intensifies sevenfold.

Amber manages to pull them into a nearby coffee shop, where she talks the store manager into helping hold off the paparazzi while they try and find a way to get back to their hotel.

* * *

**Naya's POV**

I turn on the TV to try and expel the awkward silence that's surrounded us. I'm trying to be calm, but on the inside I'm freaking out. Dianna's right, I don't know what to do about Heather. To be fair, the girls kind of overreacted, but still. Everyone's emotions are running high right now with all the shit that's going on.

I flip to the news and pause for a moment, when I see the caption at the bottom of the screen.

' _Former Glee co-stars hide from paparazzi in coffee shop'_

Immediately I turn the volume up, and listen to the reporter, who is standing outside a mob of fans and paparazzi.

_"Four former Glee stars: Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Lea Michele, and Heather Morris were ambushed by paparazzi about ten minutes ago when they apparently spotted Heather crying in the middle of a crowded walkway. The girls are now enclosed in a small coffee shop where we can only guess they are waiting out the storm."_

"Oh my God," Dianna gasps.

I didn't even think before I was grabbing my keys and running out the door. I rarely ever use my car, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Dianna and Sara hop into my Range Rover as I turn the key in the ignition. The engine roars to life and I speed back to Times Square as quickly as I can.

We finally arrive after another fifteen minutes, and I chuck the keys at Sara as I jump out of the car and shove my way through the crowd. Luckily no one notices me until I get fairly close to the front, and I'm able to dodge the reporters and slip in the entrance of the shop. I see my friends all huddled up in the corner, away from the windows. They all appear to be surrounding Heather.

My heart breaks at the sight of her.

I can tell she's on the verge of a panic attack, and I go into my 'down to business' mode.

"Amber, Jenna, Lea, you guys go out first, Dianna and Sara should be out there to help you get through the crowd."

They all look up at me, surprised. Heather doesn't seem to have noticed me.

"What about-?" Jenna starts, but I cut her off.

"I'll take care of her."

The girls all nod and walk out the door, where I see them quickly dash for my car with Dianna and Sara holding back the paparazzi with some help from some nice pedestrians.

I make my way over to Heather, and I can tell her breathing is really shallow and she's not all that conscious of her surroundings.

I kneel down in front of her and put my hand on her leg, lightly stroking it over her jeans to try and coax her out of her frozen state.

"Heather… Please take some deep breaths with me, I'm here and I'm going to get you out. It's gonna be okay."

She lifts her head and stares at me for a moment, before her breathing slowly evens out and recognitions lights up in her eyes.

"N-Naya?"

"I'm here, it's gonna be okay." Cautiously, I hold out my hand and pull her up. We stand facing each other for a few moments before I grab her hand back in mine and slowly walk back towards the exit. She's not looking in my eyes, but I can see her growing more nervous the closer we get to the door.

I pause right before I grab the handle. "Heather?"

"Yes?"

"I'm here for you." With that, I yank the door open and start running toward my car.

I'm instantly met with a mob of people. Screaming in all directions, flashing lights, and the limpness of Heather's hand in mine. I stop to look back at her, and see her face drained of all color. She looks like she'll faint any second now.

_Shit_

Racking my brain for a solution, I turn around and do the first thing that pops into my mind. Motioning behind me with my hands, I look over my shoulder to her.

"Heather, I need you to take a deep breath and hop on. Just keep breathing, please."

She doesn't speak, but I see her chest rising and falling heavily. After a few more moments, the crowd starts closing in and I plead with her desperately.

Finally, I see her take a few steps forward and I turn my head back round to brace myself. She jumps on my back and I start striding forward instantly. In reality, I'm only about 10 feet from my car but there are so many people it seems like miles.

A small, stocky man steps directly in front of us with a camera and starts shouting out questions.

"Please move," I growl. "She's having a panic attack."

The man doesn't move, just keeps snapping pictures and asking questions. The fans are screaming and I can hear faint chanting in the background. Heather's breathing becomes erratic again and I'm starting to feel overwhelmed myself.

_Desperate times call for desperate measures_

I take one of the hands that's supporting Heather behind me and punch the guy with the camera straight in the nose.

"Move it!" I scream as I push past the rest of the people and, finally, jump into my Range Rover.

"Drive!"

Dianna steps on the gas petal and then we're speeding towards my apartment.

* * *

**A few hours later**

The girls are all strewn about my living room, talking about the events of the day. Heather is passed out on the couch with her head in my lap while I stroke her hair absentmindedly.

"So yeah, that's why I'm here and stuff," Sara ends telling her story to the rest of the group.

"Well that explains a lot," Amber laughs.

Heather begins to stir at the commotion, and my hand freezes in mid-air. She was really out of it when she laid down, really the whole car ride as well. I'm not sure if she'd be mad at the current situation.

When she opens her eyes, they instantly connect with mine. We stayed like that for long seconds until she sat up abruptly and took in her surroundings.

"Where am I?" she questions.

"Um," Dianna says nervously, "Naya's apartment."

Heather spots Sara, who is sitting cross-legged on the floor. "What is she doing here?"

"She's just a friend, HeMo. I promise."

She eyes me, but I know she believes me because of the way her posture relaxes and a barely visible smile forms on her face. "Well, it's none of my business really. I'm tired anyway so…"

She trails off, and then lays her head back down on my lap and snuggles in. She falls asleep within a few minutes.

I don't think I've ever smiled so much in my life.


	13. chapter 12

**Naya's POV**

_Two days later, December 21_ _st_

The girls all decide to stay ay my apartment now that things are slightly less awkward between everyone. More specifically, Heather and I.

Right now, we're trying to figure out where they are all going to sleep. I swear I've never seen so many drama queens in one room, and that is saying something. They're all fighting over which room they get and who is bunking with whom.

"Okay, this is ridiculous," I sigh. "Dianna and Jenna, you can crash with Sara in her room, Amber and Lea you are in the second spare room, Heather can sleep in my room."

Everyone turns to stare at me with questioning looks and Heather looks like she is going to pass out.

_Okay…_

"What?" I finally ask, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. I may be a performer, but close scrutiny has always made me uncomfortable.

When no one answers, it finally clicks.

"Oh please, you're all insane. I'm sleeping on the couch." I roll my eyes.

"Ohhh," the girls all say in unison.

_Creepy._

I glance to Heather, who looks a lot more relaxed. In fact, I can almost see the amused smile forming on her lips. Unable to stop myself, I start to giggle. She turns to me, her little grin becoming more prominent and she lets out her own small chuckle, and I return it until we're both practically howling with laughter.

I'm not even really sure what's funny, probably how intense that moment was over nothing. I just suddenly just feel so carefree, kind of like when you find out something good happened really unexpectedly. And looking at her, with her face all scrunched up and nothing but happiness in her eyes, I could swear I've never felt this  _light_.

The other girls are just staring at us strangely, but I couldn't care less. It feels  _so damn good_ to have her around again. Even knowing we probably can't be more than friends.

_At least, for now…_

* * *

_That night_

"So, this is my room," I say awkwardly, gesturing to the bed for Heather to sit on. I can see her taking in the dark walls, paintings, and pictures around the room. She turns to my nightstand to set down her phone and suddenly pauses when she sees something sticking out of the drawer.

"What's this, Nay?" She asks, and I let my eyes slip from her face to see her pulling paper from the drawer.

I lurch forward; grabbing the papers and stuffing them back inside the dark piece of furniture before fumbling with the lock and turning around abruptly to staring at her wide-eyed.

"Um, that's- uh not, just don't look in there." I stammer.

"Oh, okay," she replies, visibly confused by my reaction.

_Shit, I knew I should have locked the music sheets down right away. Way to be suspicious._

I squirm under her gaze for a few moments, and finally turn towards the door. "Uh, hope you sleep well."

"Wait!"

I freeze in my tracks, already almost out the door.

"Can you… Give me a goodnight hug please? I- I'm sorry if this is weird for you, it's just, you used to hug me every night when I stayed over. Cuddle… we're not there yet, I think. But I would still like a hug if that's okay."

She looks so perfect sitting there, shyly staring downward and shuffling her feet on the light carpet. Somehow, I find myself taking long strides towards her, my hands instantly cupping her face when I reach her. A dark pink blush spreads across her face, reaching the tip of her ears, and she shrinks back a little into herself subconsciously due to embarrassment.

_Could she be any more adorable?_

"You're not making this easy for me," I smile softly, staring right into her eyes.

I can see we're both holding our breath.

"Making what not easy…" she trails off, feigning innocence. If I didn't know her better, I might have believed her façade of ignorance. But I could see the mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You little imp," I chuckle, shaking my head lightly.

"Hey, I told you, I'm not an imp," she smirks at me playfully.

"Then you know what I mean," I move my thumbs to lightly trace the features of her face. I'm standing in-between her legs while she sits on my bed, and I just can't figure out why this feels so  _right_. Everything with her feels right, always.

"I miss you so much," she says, leaning into my touch.

I lean down to give her the hug she asked for, but I stay silent. It feels so nice to hold her like this again. The feeling that another person is just surrounding all of you, protecting you, loving you. I get so lost in thought that I only snap out of it when I feel her starting to slowly rub my back.

"I'm so sorry for everything," I sigh out randomly, pulling away from her warm embrace.

"Wha-?"

"Just- ugh, I'm sorry for pressuring you. I don't know why I let you kiss me back at the hotel. None of this has been fair to you, it's all my fault, and I just want you to be happy. Even if it's without me." The comfortable feeling I had is slowly slipping away.

"It's not your fault," she says quietly. I can tell from the tone of her voice she is really drained, so I lean over to pull the covers back for her. I know we need to talk but I don't want her sleep schedule to be any worse than it already is with the time change.

"You should sleep now, HeMo, we can talk about this later. I promise."

She nods and grumbles sleepily as she shifts around and snuggles into the body pillow at the middle of the bed. My heart aches for the time when she used to hold me like that.

"Remember, I just want you to be happy," I lean down to kiss her forehead, and slowly exit the room, sending more than one fleeting glance back at the beautiful blonde dancer.

After I make sure everyone is in their respective rooms for the night, I grab the last spare blanket left and make my way over to the couch. It really is comfortable, so I don't mind sleeping here. I've actually crashed here more times than I'd like to admit when I was too tired or just being too lazy to walk back to my room.

For some reason though, I can't sleep. I keep tossing and turning. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Heather is in my bed.

Suddenly, I hear the noise of footsteps in the hall coming towards me. I look at the clock on the DVR box underneath the TV to check the time.

_1:43 am_

I wonder who would still be up so late and squint my eyes to try and make out who is walking to the kitchen. I hear the refrigerator open and decide to go investigate myself. I'm a little surprised to see Sara there, grabbing a bottle of water. I tap her on the shoulder and she shrieks.

"Hey, hey, whoa it's okay it's just me," I comfort her, rubbing her arms.

"You scared the crap out of me! Is this what a heart attack feels like?" I try to suppress my laughter as she holds her hand over her heart and breathes heavily.

"Calm down kid," I chuckle. "What are you doing out here so late anyway?"

She shoots me a playful glare. "When are you gonna stop calling me kid?"

"When you stop being one."

She rolls her eyes, "Well I came to get some water. I just went under like 3 hours of interrogation from Rizzoli and Isles back there." She says sarcastically gesturing back to her room.

I slap my forehead disbelievingly, "Dammit, I should have known not to put Dianna and Jenna with you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay,"she shrugs. "It just feels a little crowded in there."

"Well, you can take the couch and I'll take the recliner," I offer.

"Are you sure? The recliners not that big…"

"Well I'm tiny sooo," I smile when she giggles.

"Come on, kid, let's go to bed."

* * *

_2:54 am_

I can hear Sara tossing and turning on the couch. I know she's awake, and I really want to say something, but I don't know what. My resolve crumbles when I hear her let out a heart wrenching little sob.

 _That's it;_ I think to myself,  _I'm going over there._

I stand up from the chair and stretch my limbs out before walking towards her trembling body. I climb in behind her since her back is facing outwards and put a protective arm around her waist. Her entire body relaxes and she turns around in my hold to face me, quietly crying into my neck. I'm not really sure what to do, so I lift my hand to stroke her hair and whisper sweet nothings into her ear.

"It's all gonna be okay," I rock her slightly, sitting up and pulling her with me. She pulls away from my neck and sits Indian style across from me, wiping at her tears and choking out a small laugh.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

I stare at her, trying to figure out what she could possibly be sorry for. She seems to shrink under my gaze.

"You really miss her, don't you?"

She nods slowly, biting her lip to keep the tears from falling again.

"God, it's been less than a week and I'm already falling apart. And the worst part is that I feel like I'm just using you."

"Hey, don't say that kid. I'm here for you because I want to be. I know how much this sucks for you. You don't have to hide with me; you can just let it out." I lean back into the couch and open my arms in a silent invitation. She crawls on top of me and snuggles in, giggling lightly.

"I can't believe I'm  _cuddling_  with Naya Rivera."

"Oh, now I see… you only want me for my body," I turn my head away from her dramatically.

She slaps my arm and we both laugh until I eventually hear her breathing even out. I feel her grip tighten on me every so often, and I know she's dreaming about her girlfriend back home. I hold her closer and murmur "Everything's gonna be alright, you'll see…"

I'm not sure if I'm trying to convince her or myself.


	14. chapter 13

**Heather's POV**

_Three days later: December 24_ _th_ _(Christmas Eve)_

Heather's sitting on the couch in Naya's apartment. Everyone is out doing last minute shopping or simply enjoying NYC during Christmas, but she told everyone she wasn't feeling good so they would leave her alone. Of course that only meant she had to deal with Naya fussing over her to make sure that she was okay.

Really, though, the only reason she wants to be alone is because this is the first Christmas she has spent away from her family. She just stares at her phone, willing it to ring. Sure, she's mad at her mom, but that doesn't mean she doesn't love her. She doesn't even know if she would pick up if her mom did happen to ring, she just wants to know that she still cares.

Heather leans back against the couch, feeling defeated when no calls come after an hour. She decides to rest for a little while waiting for the girls to get home. Just as she gets comfortable, her phone starts ringing. She jumps up and pushes answer before she can check who is calling.

"Hello?"

_"Heather… I didn't think you'd answer."_

"Oh."

There was a long, awkward pause before her mother spoke up again.

_"Well, I just wanted to say Merry Christmas Eve and that I love you."_

"Is that your way of apologizing? Because you sure made it sound like your love depends on the choice I make."

_"Look, Heather, I saw what she did for you with the paparazzi on the news. I know she's not a bad person. But I will not apologize for what I believe in."_

"Wow, mom. I really thought you could change."

_"It's not just my religion, Heather Elizabeth. I wouldn't approve of her even if I didn't care about the sin."_

"Why, mom? What is one thing you can tell me about her that would make me think twice?"

The line stayed silent.

"That's what I thought. Mom, I love you, but you can't rue my life like this anymore. For God's sake, I'm thirty years old. I'm not saying I want to be with Naya, but I should be able to love who I love and not have to be afraid that my own mother won't support me."

_"I'm sorry… Heather, I know you're right but everything in me tells me it's wrong. I want to accept you but I need some time."_

Heather felt so relieved, she was finally getting somewhere.

"That's all I ask mom, that you try. I hate fighting with you."

_"I hate it too."_

"Well, have a good Christmas mom."

_"You too, dear. I'll talk to you later."_

"Okay, bye."

_"Bye."_

* * *

**Naya's POV**

"Sara, I think I should go home to check on HeMo, are you okay here with Dianna?"

"Yeah, sure," Sara waves me off with a grin on her face. "This is still so weird for me, though. Hanging out with my idols. It's the best present anyone could ask for."

I laugh at the enthusiasm in her voice. "Then I guess  _I_  didn't need to buy you a Christmas present."

"Naya! I told you not to buy me anything! You've done too much for me already."

"Calm down, kid. No one in the Rivera household goes without a present on Christmas Morning."

She simply rolls her eyes at me and then leans into me to whisper, "It's just… I don't have enough money to buy any of the girls anything, and I feel so bad."

She looks down at the ground with watery eyes and I pull her into a hug.

"Hey, shhh, don't worry kid. Just becoming our friend is good enough… At least for this year," I have to laugh at the huge smile on her face. "It is just too damn easy to please you, girl."

"Sorry," she giggles.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna get going kid. Tell Dianna you guys can take the subway home."

"Okay… wait!"

I turn back around to face her. "Yeah?"

"I was just wondering… what did you buy for Heather?"

I froze instantly, starting at her with wide eyes. "W-what do you mean? Uh- why would she be any different, I mean.."

"Oh, come on," Sara rolls her eyes and smirks at me. "You're not fooling anyone, it's painfully obvious you are head over heels for her. I wanna know what you bought her."

"What- How?"

"Please, that first day when we saw her in the Disney store you were desperate to assure her that we're just friends, then Dianna questioned you on the dynamic of our relationship and everyone made it seem like you were somehow cheating on her. Plus, Dianna and Jenna told me you were performing a song for her in Times Square and  _you_  told me you were singing to the girl you are in love with in Times Square." She smiles triumphantly. "Remember? On the plane?"

"Yeah, yeah. I remember," I grumble. "Don't you dare tell anyone about this, okay?" I glare at her.

"Yeah, yeah," she mocks me. "I promise. Now show me what you got her."

I huff and glare at her again. "Fine." I shuffle around the shopping bag in my hands until I find the right one. "Okay, this is it."

"Jewelry… how predictable," Sara only laughs at my furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes.

"You're a bitch, Sara."

"I know."

"Ugh, I really dislike you right now."

"Just show me the damn present."

I playfully punch her in the arm before snapping open the lid to the box encasing the necklace I bought earlier.

"Holy shit… that's a lot of diamonds."

I chuckle nervously, "Do you think it's too much? Shit, it took me forever to find this. I bought a couple other things too but… maybe I should find something different as the main gift, I mean-"

"Naya, stop," Sara places her hands on my shoulders. "It's absolutely beautiful, she'll adore it."

"Really?"

"Really. Now go check on your girl."

* * *

I shut the door behind me and walk into the kitchen. It has an angled view of the living room from over the bar, and I think I see blonde hair sprawled over the edge of the couch.

"HeMo?" I call out softly, grabbing a water bottle and kicking off my shoes on the way to the living room.

I can't help but smile goofily when I take in the sight of her curled up in a little ball, resting her head on the arm of the couch and clutching a pillow to her chest. I don't want to wake her up, I know if she's sick she's out like a light. I finally decide to just carry her back to my bed.

Lifting her back up gently, I slither my arms around her to get a tight enough grip and lift her up bridal style. She wraps her arms around my neck subconsciously and I stumble for a second, but regain my footing quickly and make my way to my room. I nudge the cracked door open with my foot and place her down on the bed with as little force as possible. When I try to lift up, she tightens her grip on me.

"Stay," she whispers.

My eyes bug out of their sockets for a moment before she pulls me down until I'm crouching uncomfortably.

"Come on," she grumbles. "I'm sick, I need you."

I pull her hands off of me to climb over her until I'm lying on the other side of the bed.

"Where are you," she whines, rolling over to me and throwing a hand over my waist.

I gulp and close my eyes, trying to memorize the feel of her so close to me and the smell of her girly shampoo. I hesitantly turn my body so that we're face to face and place my hand over her waist. She sighs happily and snuggles into me, and I can tell she's already asleep. She used to do that all the time…

I can do nothing but stare at her. Her hair, her face, her lips… The way her brow furrows and she lets out little noises every so often when she exhales.

She is perfect.

"What are you doing to me," I whisper, so close to her lips. I rest my forehead against hers and bring my hand up to lightly brush against her cheek. I can almost feel the way her body gravitates to my warmth. It's almost too much to be this close to her without being able to do anything.

Despite fighting with myself, I feel a tear slip from my eye. It's overwhelming.

She's  _right there_. She's touching me… holding me. And I don't ever want her to let go.

I start to shuffle out of her grip, because I don't trust myself being this close to her. I just need air.

"Nay?" I hear her adorable sleepy voice, stopping me at the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, do you need anything?"

"Don't leave me right now…"

I turn around to face her and see a vulnerable look in her eyes, and she's crossing her arms.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you." I look right at her as I say it, trying to convey the true meaning to the words.

I lay back down, opening my arm to invite her to snuggle into my chest. We lay in comfortable silence, but I know she hasn't fallen back asleep yet, because I can feel her tracing patterns with her fingers on my left hip.

"NayNay?" she whispers.

"Yes?"

"Can you sing to me…?"

I snap my eyes open and I'm instantly met with pools of deep blue. She's staring straight at me, pleading with that soft look that makes me melt every time.

"Okay."

I contemplate what song I should sing in my head. I don't want to sing my song just yet, plus it isn't really ready yet. Then I remember that her favorite movie is Enchanted.

_Hmmm…_

"Okay," I repeat myself, holding her a little bit closer.

I take a deep breath and start singing softly, nuzzling into her.

_"You're in my arms, and all the world is calm._

_The music playing on for only two._

_So close, together._

_And when I'm with you_

_So close, to feeling alive._

_A life goes by,_

_Romantic dreams must die._

_So I bid my goodbye_

_And never knew._

_So close, was waiting,_

_Waiting here with you._

_And now, forever, I know_

_All that I wanted_

_To hold you so close._

_So close to reaching_

_That famous happy end._

_Almost believing_

_This one's not pretend._

_And now you're beside me,_

_And look how far we've come._

_So far we are. So close..."_

I trail off there, stopping when I feel her body shaking slightly.

"HeMo?" I ask softly. "HeMo, what's wrong?"

She lifts her head up to face me and I have to pull back slightly.  _So Close…_

"I've missed you so much," she trembles. "I'm so sorry that I keep freaking out on you, I just hadn't seen you in so long and then you said you love me and… I talked to my mom today-"

"Wha-" I sputter, but she continues.

"I talked to her, and she's warming up to the idea, she really is and you have  _no idea_ how much I… I want to… Just, when you started singing that song I knew."

"Knew what?" I ask, begging her with my eyes to continue.

"I knew I could never doubt the way you feel about me. But you have to understand, I'm just so goddam scared. I'm scared of everything Naya, but sometimes I feel like it doesn't matter because  _I just want you._ "

"Don't you see," I bite my lip to hold in the tears that are making their way to the corner of my eyes. "You've always had me. I will always be there for you. I know I haven't proven myself very well, but I'm not scared anymore. I swear to you, no matter what you decide I am here and I will support you and- and  _love_  you."

I hold my breath as she squeezes her eyes shut.

"I- I love you so much."

I exhale, relief relaxing my body and causing the corner of my mouth to inch up slowly.

"I love you too."

She gets closer, and I find myself holding my breath once again, until she's so close I can't find a place to focus my eyes. It's just her, and me. And I'm not afraid anymore.

Slowly, so slowly, I close the gap between our lips and try to show her just how much she means to me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used is 'so close' by Jon McLaughlin. It's from the Enchanted soundtrack :)


	15. chapter 14

Naya's POV

My heart flutters as she leans up into the kiss, humming softly with the biggest grin on her face. She pulls me down onto her and in one swift movement, flips us over, catching me off guard.

"Whoa," I giggle as she swings her leg over my hips to straddle me.

She smirks and leans in again, taking my bottom lip between her own and slowly moving her hands to grab mine. She intertwines our fingers and holds them on either side of my head.

I nudge her nose with mine, effectively breaking the kiss and she leans back to give me a quizzical look.

"How are you so perfect?"

She laughs and shakes her head, wiggling her right hand from mine to hold it against my cheek. "I am anything but perfect, Naya. I should be asking you that question."

"HeMo…" I whine, playfully rolling my eyes. "Don't argue with me. You're perfect."

"Right," she giggles and grabs my other hand again, pulling both of them above my head and pinning them there. We have a staring competition for a full minute before I can't take it any longer and break free of her hold to lean up and crash against her mouth hungrily. I hold onto her shoulders for support and she wraps one arm around my waist. She uses the other one to hold us up as she swipes my bottom lip with her tongue. I squeal at the unexpected action and I feel her chuckle into my mouth.

"Sorry," I breathe, surprising her by wiggling my tongue into her mouth. I can't help but smirk when she shudders.

I feel her shift so we can sit up further, and I let my hands move from her shoulders to her back. I dig my nails in slightly when she deepens the kiss. I'm getting a little light headed just because of the fact that this is really happening. Well, that and the lack of oxygen.

"Hey," I whisper between kisses. She hums in response.

"Hey," I try again and lean back, laughing when she follows.

"What?" she whines, "I'm trying to get my mack on."

We stare at each other before bursting into laughter. "I was just… going to… say… we should…. Slow down," I say between breaths. "I mean, if you're sick we should be more careful. Y'know, we need oxygen and all."

She lets out another sharp laugh before pecking me on the lips. "Don't worry, I feel all better now."

I send her a suspicious glare and watch as she gulps with a guilty smile on her face.

"You were never sick, were you?" I ask.

"Nope," she giggles.

"You know you don't have to pretend to be sick just so I'll cuddle you," I smirk and watch the blood rush to her cheeks.

"I wasn't- that's not-"

"Mhmm," I cut her off, wiggling my eyebrows.

She huffs at me and leans in so we're face to face. "Shut up."

She claims my lips once again, pressing her upper body against mine and sliding her hand down my sides to the hem of my shirt. I bite her lip softly and pull back as she fiddles with it.

"You can take it off," I whisper.

She growls a little and hot damn. "If I take it off, I'm not gonna stop and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet," she says in a strained voice. I grind down a little in her lap, shooting little sparks of pleasure through both of us.

She chokes on a moan and pulls me into her further, burying her face in my neck and biting down.

"I don't think I can keep control anymore, now that all our feelings are out there."

"Maybe I want you to lose control."

That's all it took before she's ripping my shirt over my head and ravaging my neck. I feel her trail kisses downwards until she finds my sweet spot.

"Oh," I moan and close my eyes, "that feels so good."

"Mhmm," she hums and licks up my throat.

Oh God.

I reach for her sweater and pull it over her head, immediately finding her lips afterwards. She's trailing her hands further down-

"Heather? You in there?"

"Shit!" I whisper at the sound of Sara outside the door. Heather and I scramble apart and she throws the blanket over us. I close my eyes, pretending to sleep and she shuffles in behind me to wrap her arm around me protectively.

The door opens and Sara pokes her head in. "Oh…" she whispers. I'm trying so hard not to laugh, and I feel Heather's stomach muscles quivering against my back. I know she's holding in laughter too.

"Uh- um," Sara clears her throat awkwardly. "Shit- uh. Naya?" She whispers and taps me on the shoulder timidly.

I feign sleepiness as I blink my eyes and stretch, pulling myself out of Heather's embrace even as I feel her subtly pull my stomach back against her when I try to shuffle away.

Only then do I remember my lack of shirt problem.

"Oh, shit." I whip my head around frantically and grab Heather's sweater from off the ground and pull it over my head. I reluctantly glance to Sara, who's smirking at me with a knowing look.

"Not a word," I glare at her.

"Alright…" she sing-songs in a teasing voice.

I cross my arms over my chest and roll my eyes as I follow her into the kitchen.

"Well at least now I can cross something off my bucket lips," Sara chuckles.

"What?" I ask her, confused.

"See Naya Rivera shirtless off screen," she laughs.

"You little perve," I can't help but laugh as well.

"So are you gonna tell me what happened there?" Sara wiggles her eyebrows and gestures in the direction of my bedroom with a head nod.

"Nope," I smile innocently. "Nothing happened."

"Bull shit," She sings. "You were totally getting in on in there. Shit, why did I stop you. That's like the hottest-"

"And I'm gonna stop you right there," I hold my hand out in front of her face. "Just no."

"Sorry," she shrugs and sends me a smirk. "I'm a brittana shipper, this is like a dream come true."

"Yeah, yeah… What did you even bring me in here for?"

"Oh, right!" She smiles. "Dianna didn't want to come home yet, she told me to tell you to check your phone, but first…" She starts pulling ingredients out of grocery bags on the counter.

"Uhhh…"

"It was crazy trying to go food shopping, there were people freaking EVERYWHERE. Like, I must have waited in line for like forty five minutes at least-"

"Sara?" I cut her rambling off. "Why did you go grocery shopping? It's Christmas Eve, we were just gonna order a pizza and exchange gifts."

"Oh," she sighed, looking down at the food spread across the counter. "Well, I just thought since Heather was sick, I could make some homemade soup and it could be our pre- Christmas dinner."

I giggle at the defeated expression on her face. "That sounds great, kid. Need some help?"

She lifts her head up and smiles so big, "Really?"

"Hells yeah! Let's do this. I haven't had a home cooked meal in forever."

"Yay! She squeals. "This is gonna be the best Christmas ever."

* * *

"Holy shit this is the best thing I have ever tasted," I practically moan while taking a taste test of the chicken soup Sara's preparing on the stove.

"It's just soup Naya," She says through a laugh. "You're acting like you just had an orgasm- or did you?" she smirked.

"You're lucky none of the other girls are here yet. I will kick your ass."

"Sure."

"One- I'm sure you already know this but none, and I mean NONE of the girls hear about what you saw earlier. Two- who the fuck taught you how to make this soup? It's amazing."

"Don't worry," Sara winks, "I won't tell them your dirty little secret. And my girlfriend-uh ex? Girlfriend, Charlie. It's her recipe. She want to be a chef."

"I'm sorry-"

"No, it's okay. You didn't know."

We stand staring at the soup in an awkward silence for a few minutes before I place my hand on her shoulder.

"You know, we still haven't talked about what happened a few nights ago. On the couch. I'm sorry if I over stepped your personal boundaries but you sounded like you needed a hug. Was that about Charlie?"

"No, no… You never overstep. In fact, I'm sorry for not thanking you sooner. I mean, you're letting me stay in your home during the holidays. I didn't have to go all chick flick on you and start balling my eyes out. But I'm glad you were there. Sometimes I feel like I'm just falling apart without her…"

"Hey," I pull her into me in a comforting embrace. I feel her sniffle against my shoulder. "You're hanging with my crew now. We'll all take care of you. And if it's any help, I know exactly what you're going through. Long story short, Mrs. Morris found out I was in love with Heather and scared me into leaving without saying goodbye. I didn't even talk to her for three years. But obviously, things get better. Charlie may not be the one for you, but you never know. If you're meant to be you'll be together eventually. Don't give up, kid."

I let her cling to me a little longer and eventually she pulls back to wipe at her eyes, "Sorry for being so emotional," she tries to smile. "I just miss her so much."

"Tell you what," I grin at her. "Why don't you go take a shower, get cleaned up or whatever, I'll finish dinner, and then when the rest of the girls get home, we can all relax together and just have fun. Help you forget about everything that's happening."

"That sounds awesome."

"Good. Now go," I push her out of the kitchen and turn back towards the soup. It's basically done, I just have to make sure it doesn't over cook. I lean against the counter, but my elbow lands on something when I try to put it down. Sara's phone…

I pick it up just out of curiosity, and press the home button. A sickeningly adorable picture pops up of what I assume to be Charlie with Sara. Sara has striking hazel eyes, light brown hair, and fair skin. Charlie, on the other hand, has beautiful tanned skin, dark brown hair, and greenish eyes. They look so cute together. And the way they look at each other, geez. I've never seen two people look more in love.

I swipe at the lock screen and surprisingly it doesn't have a password on it.

"Oops," I hum to myself and look around nervously. "Might as well…"

I open her messages to look for a 'Charlie'. It's right at the top. I click on her name and see that at least the last eight messages have been from Sara.

**You'll never guess who I'm staying with! I really want to hear your voice. Call me?**

**Baby, please answer me. I don't know if you're mad at me… Just wanted 2 let u know I'm in NYC**

**I hope you're doing okay. You haven't answered me.**

**I love you…**

I don't want to invade her personal life, well, more than I already have. I don't look at any more messages, just set her phone on the counter and think. I need a way to cheer Sara up. She's totally bummed, no one should be bummed on Christmas Eve. I need to get her mind off of Charlie if she can't see her.

Wait… That's it! Charlie!

I run into my room and grab my phone, pausing for a minute to admire Heather's shirtless body snuggled peacefully in my bed. I peck her temple and race out of the room again. There is a text from Dianna on my phone.

Nay, we have got to cheer Sara up. She looks like a puppy who just got kicked in the gut. Group gift? We used to that back in the good old days :p

I text a reply: I've got just the thing, I don't know if I can pull it off but If I can it's gonna be fucking spectacular.

My phone buzzes with a call from Diana a few seconds later.

"Hey"

"Hey, what did you have in mind?"

Eventually everyone arrives back at my apartment and I sneak back to my room to wake Heather up for dinner.

When I open my door I'm surprised to find her up, sitting in front of my closet clutching something to her chest.

"HeMo?"

She stands up slowly and turns around. I feel my heart drop as I see what's in her hands and her slightly watery eyes.

"I knew it," she chuckles around a small cry.

"Well, I couldn't leave without something to live by," I shrug and send her a sheepish smile.

She walks over to me and pulls me into a kiss, her worn out gray Glee hoodie from all those years ago squashed between us in her hands. "I knew you took it."

"Guilty," I giggle. "I hope you're not too mad."

"God, I love you."

"I love you too."

I bury my face in her shoulder and squeeze my arms around her torso. "I loved wearing it because it made me smell like you. It made me feel close to you… I don't know, it was stupid."

"You know what?" She says, "I slept on your side of the bed for at least six months. I missed you so much."

She returns my hug and we just breathe each other in, neither of us wanting to move.

"Nay," she whispers.

"Yeah?"

"I love you, but…"

"But?"

"I don't think I'm ready to be with you yet…"

My heart sinks and I turn away from her slightly. "Oh."

"It's not like that, Naya. I want to, but I was just thinking about it and we've only really been on good terms for a few days now. I don't want to rush this. Let's just…. Just, be. And we'll see where that takes us. I love you, but I want to do this right." She smiles at me.

"Okay. You're right, let's just remember that this is a good thing. I'm so happy to be with you, even if I can't call you my girlfriend... for now. I miss being around you all the time."

She grins at me and spins me around. I laugh and swat at her until she stops. I slide back down to the ground, her arms still wrapped securely around me. Our faces are only inches apart.

"Can I kiss you?" I whisper.

"I suppose…"

I tilt my head up and connect our lips for a soft, intimate kiss. It's quick, but so meaningful.

"Let's go join the rest of the girls," I smile. I see the dazed look in her eyes and giggle. "Come on, HeMo, Sara made the most amazing soup. For your fake- sickness." I wink.

"Shhh!" she squeals and swats me playfully on the arm. "What do you mean fake sickness?"

I grin and pull her out into the living room.

"Whatever you say."

After dinner, we all sit in a circle around the living room. Heather is leaning against the edge of the couch, I'm leaning against her. Sara is right next to me talking to Amber and the rest of the girls are either in chairs or laying out on the floor in front of the fireplace roasting marshmallows.

I catch Dianna's eye and she gestures to her phone. I pull mine out and read the text she sent me.

**I called her. She didn't believe it was actually me so I had to facetime her, lol. She agreed to come. But don't worry, I grilled her thoroughly. She really sounded like she wants to work things out. So, she's not just coming to meet us.**

I smirk triumphantly and shoot her a quick reply. **Perfect. Thanks, Di.**

Heather stands up and yawns, rubbing her eyes before addressing the group. "Alright guys, I'm gonna head in for the night. Don't wanna stay up too late and miss the gifts in the morning."

Everyone chuckles at her sleepy voice. Sara stand up as well, "I think I'm gonna hit the sack too. Goodnight everyone. Thanks so much."

"Night!" We all say back.

Once Sara is out of the room, Dianna and I explain our little plan to the rest of the group, minus Heather.

"I really want this to be a good Christmas for her guys, she deserves it."

The rest of the girls nod in agreement and we all decide to go to bed considering we'll be up super early to get everything prepared in time. I watch and wait until everyone goes off to their temporary rooms before sneaking back into mine. I climb in behind Heather and set my alarm for 2:00. The only downside to being the brains of this operation is having to do the dirty work. I look at the clock on my bedside table.

10:00.

Great, four hours to sleep. Might as well make the most of it. I roll my eyes but my attitude changes drastically as I feel Heather turn around and rest her head on my chest, grumbling adorably and throwing her arm around me to snuggle.

I smile and cuddle into her further. This is going to be the best Christmas ever.


	16. chapter 15

Naya's POV

I groan and roll over when I hear the alarm on my phone go off.

"Why did I agree to this?" I whisper to myself, fumbling with my iPhone to try and turn off the obnoxious ringing.

"Naya?" I freeze when I hear a soft voice behind me. I feel the bed shift and suddenly I'm being wrapped up in a warm hug. Heather's snuggled into me full body from behind, resting her head on my shoulder and sighing sleepily. "Why are you up so early?"

I crane my neck to the side to plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "You would know if you didn't sleep so much," I chastise her playfully. "I came up with a little scheme to cheer up Sara. Di and I have to go to the airport to pick someone up right now, unfortunately this was the only time they could fly in at such short notice."

"Can I come?" Heather asks excitedly.

I shrug, "Sure, why not. You can be my little partner in crime."

She giggles and untangles herself from me, jumping from the bed and helping me up. "Let's go get ready."

We both throw extra sweatshirts on to protect ourselves form the cold New York air. I have to literally drag Dianna from the couch and force her to put shoes on. Eventually we make it to the car, Dianna sitting up front to help direct me, and Heather sitting behind me making sure to catch my eye in the rearview mirror and smile lovingly any chance she gets.

"We're here!" Dianna finally announces. "This is gonna be great, okay, just pull into that parking structure. We can pick her up inside."

"Thank God, I can't wait to get back home."

I park, thankfully close to the correct terminal. The three of us wander through the doors, taking in the warmth of the heater, and find a bench to wait on until our guest arrives.

I lean against the edge of the bench, trying to get comfortable, eventually just sitting forward and slouching a little. Dianna leans her back against my side, stretching her legs out over the rest of the bench.

"Hey," Heather pouts, "there's no room for me."

Dianna just shrugs and I hold my arms open, inviting her to use me as her chair. She smirks and plops down in my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and pecking me right beside my mouth. My eyes shoot open wide, sending her a questioning look. She gives me a bashful smile and bites her lip shyly.

I smile so big, burying my face in her neck and breathing out a faint "perfect" against her flushed skin before quietly kissing her there and pulling back. Her breath hitches and I can't help but lean forward and plant a few more feather-light kisses against the skin right below her jaw. I can't really believe I'm doing this in a public place… Even if it is pretty much deserted due to the time.

"If you two could stop making out for a minute, Charlie's plane just landed."

Woops… Totally forgot Dianna was here.

"Uh, we weren't-"

"Yeah, yeah. Tell it to the judge."

"What?" Heather laughs. "That doesn't even make sense."

"Guys, shut up! I think that's her!" I subtly point to where the passengers are exiting the plane and to one girl in particular. "Wow, she's taller than I thought she was."

"I know, right? She looked so different in the picture." Dianna chimes in.

"Wait… Who is this girl anyway? Why is she here, I've never seen her before." Heather questions.

"Oh, that's Sara's girlfriend. They're kind of going through a rough patch right now and Sara's been super bummed. I didn't want her to be sad on Christmas Eve so I found her number and had Di make arrangements to get her here. She's our group gift!"

Heather laughs, "Don't call her a gift, it makes her sound like a hooker."

"Shut up," I roll my eyes. "Let's just go over there and get her."

We all clumsily stand up and saunter our way over to Charlie. She's fiddling with her suitcase and checking her phone, not having noticed us yet.

"Wait," I smirk to the girls, "We should totally mess with her. Sara told me they used to watch Glee, like, religiously."

"Oh, I have the perfect thing to say," Heather giggles. We walk over to Charlie as she's angrily pulling on the lever of her suitcase, hitting it in frustration and muttering under her breath when it refuses to budge.

"Stop the violence!"

Dianna and I crack up at Heather's perfect delivery. I practically double over at the surprised look on Charlie's face, clutching my stomach and slumping into Heather's shoulder.

"That was hilarious," Dianna wipes a stray tear from her eye.

"Okay, it wasn't that funny," Heather rolls her eyes. I shove her shoulder and wink at her.

"Um… h-hi," Charlie stutters shyly. "I can't believe I'm standing in front of you right now."

I chuckle at her wide-eyed, dazed expression. "Nice to meet you too. Just in case you don't know, I'm Naya," I point to myself, "that's Dianna," I point to Dianna, "and this, is HeMo." I turn to Heather and smile goofily at her as she playfully pinches my side.

Charlie snaps out of her daze and grins at us. "Thank you guys so much for getting me here. I really need to talk to Sara."

"And being in NYC and chilling with us isn't too bad either, eh?" Dianna teases.

"Heck yeah!" Charlie laughs. I notice the way her eyes light up when she's happy. She's dressed very smartly, and I can tell I already love her sense of style. She has an overall friendly vibe and I get the feeling her investment in Sara is very real. I know how relationships are when you're that young though. I can't blame her for making a mistake, even though I feel pretty protective of Sara. She's like my little sister in some ways. I really hope I'm right and Charlie's willing to work things out with her, for real.

"Alright, let's hit the road! I'm exhausted. Nobody better wake me up before nine."

"I'll make sure no one does, NayNay," Heather winks at me. I smile gratefully and subtly kiss the back of her hand as we travel back out to the car.


	17. Chapter 16

"Okay," I whisper. "We have to do this quietly."

The door creaks softly as I push it open, causing Heather, Dianna, Charlie and I to wince. We can't risk waking Sara up and ruining her surprise, or in other words,  _I did not get up at 2 am and drive to the airport for nothing._

 I finally get it open enough to squeeze us (plus Charlie's suitcase) through and usher everyone into my apartment. Dianna flops on the couch even before I can even tell her to take her shoes off. I'm scanning the living room absentmindedly when I realize, _where is Charlie sleeping?_   

I face-palm internally and tug on Heather's sweater. "Hey, babe?" I smile with all the fake sweetness I can muster, "Would you maybe possibly mind sleeping in the living room the rest of the night with Di? Charlie should sleep in the room so Sara doesn't see her." 

Heather rolls her eyes when I bat my eyelashes at her. "Really, Naya?" 

"Yes," I grin. 

"Ughhh," Heather groans and begins turning away. Dianna is already passed out on the couch and Charlie is standing near us awkwardly clutching her luggage and trying to look preoccupied. I send her a fleeting glance and finally decide,  _whatever, she was gonna find out eventually._

I turn Heather towards me and step on her toes lightly, before wrapping my arms around her torso and leaning mine back so she can look down at me. "Pleaseee, baby?" I pout. 

An expression of slight uncertainty flashes across her face as she eyes Charlie, but then she cracks a tiny grin. I can tell she's avoiding my puppy dog eyes.

"Pleaseee?"

"God, fine," Heather finally gives in, rolling her eyes and giggling. "but you owe me."

"You know it, baby," I whisper, leaning up to finally plant a small kiss on her lips. I'm pretty sure I hear Charlie let out a little squeal. "When Sara wakes up come get us out of my room."

"Okie dokie," she answers, unwrapping herself from around me, and rocking up on the balls of her feet.

"Dork," I giggle and shove her shoulder playfully. 

"Whatever," Heather bites her lip and shakes her head, "You love it." 

"That I do."

"And I'm the dork?"

"Yep," I chuckle softly and spin around to face Charlie. "Well, now that that's settled," I have to hold in a laugh at her awestruck expression. "Let's go to my room."

Charlie nods and picks up her suitcase, following me down the hall and trying not to bump into any walls. 

"Here we are," I whisper. Charlie nods and enters my room, lugging her big suitcase behind her.

I close the door softly, and flick on my light. "Alright, so you can take the bed and i'll sleep in the floor. The bathroom's down the hall, but wake me up if you have to go. I don't want Sara to see you at all, okay?" 

"Sure," Charlie agrees. She looks around my room and clears her throat a few times, humming softly and glancing at me nervously. I stare at her expectantly, but she just blushes and looks away. 

"Charlie, I know you want to ask. Go ahead," I chuckle. 

"Oh, um. Thanks," she mumbles shyly. "So you and Heather- um, you're like, a couple?" 

"Sort of," I can't help but smile. "We're kind of dating, but we're taking it slow." 

Charlie slides her coat of her shoulders and sends me a wide grin, "Really? That's amazing." 

"Yeah, she is," I roll my eyes at my own corniness. "But enough about  _my_ love life. I want to know what happened between you and Sara." 

Charlie's smile morphs into a small frown, and she sits down on the bed slowly. "Oh... Alright, well it's kind of a long story, but you definitely deserve to know," she sighs. 

I nod at sit next to her, placing a (hopefully) comforting hand on her shoulder. 

"Long story short, Sara's parents caught us kissing one day, and it was, well, kind of terrifying. There was so much screaming and yelling, and... they said such terrible things about us. It really wasn't even what they were saying either, it was the way Sara just looked so  _broken._  It scared me so much, the way they just kicked her out like that. I couldn't," she sighs, "I  _didn't_ want to go through that, I didn't want to put either of us through it again, so I just told her to go. I thought it would be better. I could finish out my senior year, she could be free to live out her big, NYC dreams. And if we were soul mates, we would find each other again. I didn't want her worrying about me, about us. So I said we were on a 'break'." Charlie huffs and rolls her eyes, wiping away the wetness on her tan cheeks, "I can't believe how stupid I was. I never want to let her go, I- I  _love_ her. All she ever does is take care of me, and my feelings. And I hurt her." 

 _"_ Hey," I coo, giving her a short hug, "it'll be alright. You both still care about each other, and love each other. And even if she's mad, she _can't_ reject you, It's Christmas!" I smile goofily at her, jumping up from the bed and grabbing a blanket before flicking off the lights. "Now come on, let's sleep. It's like 4 in the morning." 

Charlie giggles and I hear her shuffling around and getting under the covers as I (try) to get comfortable on the floor with only a blanket and a pillow. When I finally close my eyes, Charlie's timid voice keeps me from drifting off. 

"Do you really think Sara still loves me?'

I close my eyes again and smirk at the silliness of the situation, "I  _know_ so."

* * *

"Nay? NayNay? Naya, wake up!"

Heather's soft, angelic, and slightly amused voice in my ear rouses me from my light sleep. "Nay, babe, why are you on the floor?"

I groan loudly and roll over onto my stomach. "5 mor minnits," I slur. "Tired"

I shut my eyes again and start to drift back off contently when I hear whispering and mumbled 'okays'. I try to keep my eyelids open, but my body is too exhausted to care about what's going on. Only when I feel myself being lifted from the hard, uncomfortable ground do I crack one eye open. 

I see Heather looking down at me as she sets me on the bed. "HeMo," I grin, and tug her down with me. She crashes down onto the bed at my side, giggling and sliding in next to me to wrap her arms around my torso and pull me against her. Her chin rests on my shoulder and she tilts her head to speak quietly in my ear. 

"Charlie's moved to the floor, so you can get some good rest. Sara got up but she fell asleep again on the couch. Di will come get us when it's time." 

I hum happily when I feel her plant a sloppy kiss below my ear, "Mmkay." I snuggle into her and fall back asleep, safe and warm in a loving embrace. 

* * *

"Okay Naya, Heather, get up. She's awake!" Dianna shakes us, and I huff before rolling over and facing Heather, completely ignoring Di trying to wake us up. 

"Hi," I smile, almost drunkenly from my half- asleep state. 

'Hmm," Heather giggles. "Hi"

I kiss her lips softly, only pulling away when Dianna gags and pulls me out of bed. "Naya, this was your plan, go out there and text me when you want me to bring Charlie." 

_Oh yeah, Charlie._

"Okay, okay," I groan, sending a wink to Charlie and leaning down to kiss Heather one more time. 

"I thought you said you weren't dating," Dianna rolls her eyes and shoves me out of my room. 

I stop before i'm all the way out of the doorway and send Dianna a stern look, "We're taking things slow." I try to be serious, but Heather's giggle in the background causes me to crack a grin. "Oh, whatever, i'll let you know when we're official." 

"What makes you think we will be? You haven't even taken me on a date yet," Heather smirks playfully. 

"Shut up," I stick my tongue out at the girls before snapping my fingers and twirling around to strut out the door. "You know you want it!"

I hear all the girls laugh and I shake my head amusedly as I wander into the kitchen. "Mmm, what smells good?" 

Sara and Jenna are buzzing around the kitchen while Lea and Amber sip coffee on the couch, watching Christmas specials.

"Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon," Sara grins. "I miss being in the kitchen so much! I love cooking."

"Well then I might just have to keep you around," I laugh. "Lord knows I burn _water,"_

Jenna chuckles, "It's true. One time we decided to have a cupcake party and we left her alone in the kitchen for literally two minutes. We heard a scream and she was putting out flames with the fire extinguisher!"

"Oh my God, I remember that!" Lea and Amber crack up at the memory.

"It wasn't that bad," I mumble, embarrassed.

"Yes it was!" Amber shouts from the living room. "You burnt like half your hand! You still have the scar."

I not-so-subtly hide my hand behind my back when Sara tries to look at it.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I suck at cooking."

"That's an understatement." 

"Oh, shut up."

I feel my phone buzz in my sweater pocket and I pull it out.

**Diana: Is everything good out there? Is it time for us to come out yet?**

I widen my eyes and text back a quick **no, wait** before sliding up next to Sara as she flips pancakes expertly. 

"So, Sara. Didn't you say Charlie likes to cook?" I ask slyly.

"Uhm, yeah... she does." Sara side eyes me curiously.

"It's a shame she's not here to help you out," i sigh over- dramatically, pulling my phone out.

**To Dianna: Wait in the hallway. You'll know when.**

"I doubt she'd want to be here..." Sara sends me a sad look, but has a questioning tone.

"Are you sure about that?' I ask playfully.

"Uh, not exactly... Naya where are you going with this?"

"Nowhere, nowhere," I grin and shrug my shoulders, sliding away from the counter where the stove is and leaning against the island. "Just continue with the pancakes."

"okayyy..." Sara raises an eyebrow at me but goes back to flipping.

I peek around the corner and usher Charlie over. She stands behind Sara's back and we all giggle softly.

"Y'know those pancakes are a little lumpy," Charlie speaks.

"What? No they're- WAIT" Sara flips her body around comically fast, coming face to face with "CHARLIE! Oh my God, you're here!"

"Sure am," she grins, embracing the smaller girl and twirling her around.

"Stop! Hey, put me down," Sara giggles. "I can't believe you're here..."    

"Me either," Charlie says softly, and all the girls shuffle out of the kitchen to give them some privacy. Of course, I stay in ear shot. Hey, I flew the girl out here, I'm entitled to some eavesdropping. 

"I'm so sorry, Sara... I should have never let you think I didn't want to stay with you. I never want to break up with you, I was just scared, and stupid, and-" 

Charlie's speech gets cut off with what I can only guess is an epic kiss. That's my cue. 

"Don't burn the pancakes!" I shout before joining the other girls in the living room. I scan the room jokingly looking for a place to sit, while Heather pouts, gesturing to the open spot next to her on the couch with her eyes. 

"Kidding, baby," I wink and plop down next to her, cuddling into her side. 

"Baby?" Jenna questions.

"Oh, uh... yeah. I guess we should tell them, huh?" I look up at Heather's smiling face.

"Yeah, I guess so," she mocks playfully.

"Shut up," I smile.

"Oh my God, you are too enamored with each other," Diana rolls her eyes. "They're 'dating' but it's not 'offical'. But don't worry, doesn't keep them from making out every damn second."

"Hey," I pout. "It's not that bad."

"Wait, wait. Back it up there. Yesterday morning you were still avoiding each other and being all awkward. When did this happen?" Amber questions.

"Yeah, I'm lost," Jenna raises her eyebrow at Dianna. "I thought we were a team here," she points her finger between them.

"Sorry, Jen. It happened way to fast and way too early in the morning to call you." Di shrugs. 

"Okay, i'm ignoring the fact you two probably schemed me into this relationship," Heather interrupts them, "But yes, we're dating. You guys don't need to know every detail. Just that i'm really happy, and we're heading in a good direction."

She smiles that perfect smile at me and then leans down to peck me wetly on the cheek. I ignore the collective 'aweee' from the group and focus on Charlie and Sara walking into the room, hand in hand.

"So it went well in there, I suppose?" I smirk.

"Yeah," Sara sighs, smitten. "it went perfect."

"Good!" I smile warmly at the reconnected couple, before my stomach growls. the rest of the girls laugh and I jump up from the couch, pulling Heather with me. "Now let's eat!" 

 


End file.
